PRIME MINISTER

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Prime Minister how many briefings he has received on the investigations into the Hillsborough disaster since 12 September 2012.

David Cameron: I am regularly updated on progress of investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.

Sri Lanka

Ian Austin: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to raise the issue of human rights in Sri Lanka at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

David Cameron: As I have made clear in previous answers in the House, I will raise the human rights situation in Sri Lanka when I attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The Government is concerned about the lack of progress on freedom of expression and religion, judicial independence, post-conflict reconciliation and accountability.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Disclosure of Information

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the release of documents relating to Northern Ireland held at Swadlincote under the 30-year rule.

Theresa Villiers: I have not had discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), regarding whether documents held at Swadlincote should be released under the 30 year rule.

TREASURY

Currencies

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the use of (a) bitcoins and (b) other virtual currencies; and what assessment he has made of the potential risks in terms of laundering when such currencies are used;
	(2)  what guidance his Department provides to banks and businesses on the use of bitcoins.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury has not made an assessment of the use of virtual currencies and the money laundering risks posed by the use of such currencies.
	HM Treasury does not provide guidance to banks and businesses on the use of bitcoins.

Financial Services: Somalia

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take following Barclays' decision to cease providing money transfer services to Somalia to ensure there are robust measures against suspected money laundering between the UK and Somalia.

Sajid Javid: The Government is committed to supporting a healthy and legitimate remittance sector, and ensuring that UK citizens are able to continue to remit funds safely to family abroad. A written ministerial statement was laid on 10 October outlining the range of actions we are taking to ensure that the UK's remittance sector is compliant and that there is robust supervision of money transmitters for anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism obligations.

National Insurance Contributions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people earning less than £10,000 each year paid National Insurance contributions; and what the total value of such contributions was in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Gauke: In 2011-12 there were around 2.27 million employees who had annual earnings below £10,000 but above the NICs primary threshold of £7,225. However, there were a further 3.73 million employees who, although they had annual earnings below £7,225, still had a NICs liability.
	This is due to the fact that NICs liabilities are calculated separately each time someone is paid and not on an annual basis, and it is therefore possible for someone to have annual earnings less than the annual £7,225 threshold, but still have a NICs liability if they were paid above the weekly or monthly threshold in any one week or month. The combined NIC liabilities of the 6.00 million employees totalled £1.02 billion.

Taxation: Germany

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mutual assistance in recovery of debt demands have been made by the German tax authorities against UK tax residents in the last five years.

David Gauke: HMRC has no legal authority to disclose this information without the permission of the German tax authorities, who are the data owners. HMRC does not currently have their permission to disclose such data.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many legal professionals in his Department provide advice to personnel operating drones in Afghanistan. [R]

Mark Francois: It is not possible to put an exact figure on the number of legal professionals providing advice to personnel operating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including the Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), as legal advice is not purely limited to their deployment to Afghanistan.
	Prior to an operational deployment all UK armed forces personnel receive a detailed legal briefing as part of their comprehensive pre-deployment training. In addition, RAF personnel operating aircraft, including Reaper, receive detailed legal advice from legal professionals during their training. While deployed on operations additional legal advice can be sought through channels reaching back to the UK.

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blaydon, of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 5W, on Afghanistan, for what reasons his Department is not participating in the review of criteria required to establish positive identification and determination of status undertaken by international forces in Afghanistan, following the UN Mission in Afghanistan's 2012 report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. [R]

Mark Francois: The UK meets the requirements to seek to protect civilians under International Humanitarian Law. UK policy includes robust criteria on establishing positive identification and requires commanders to do everything feasible to verify that the target is a military objective. The UK Targeting Directive and Rules of Engagement for Operation Herrick, which are approved by Ministers, provide clear direction for commanders on this policy, which is constantly reviewed in light of changing circumstances and advances in technology. An additional review in response to the UN Mission in Afghanistan's report is therefore not necessary.

Armed Forces: Absence Without Leave

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of serving personnel who went absent without leave as a result of bullying and abuse in the armed forces in a) 2010, b) 2011, c) 2012 and d) 2013 to date.

Anna Soubry: This information is not held in the format requested. The information readily available on armed forces personnel who have been absent without leave (AWOL) in the last four years, broken down by service is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Year/service Number of AWOL incidents 
			 Naval service  
			 2010 75 
			 2011 70 
			 2012 50 
			 2013 (to 9 October 2013) 35 
			   
			 Army  
			 2010 1,990 
			 2011 1,460 
			 2012 1,060 
			 2013 (to 9 October 2013) 645 
			   
			 Royal Air Force  
			 2010 5 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 10 
			 2012 15 
			 2013 (to 9 October 2013) 15 
		
	
	The figures have been rounded to the nearest five or 10. The number of incidences of reported AWOL may include the same individual more than once.

Armed Forces: Employment

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what career transition support is available to personnel leaving the armed forces; and if he will list the specific courses and training available to such personnel.

Anna Soubry: All service leavers are entitled to some form of resettlement assistance to enable a successful transition into civilian life. This assistance includes a suite of training and employment support from the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), a partnering arrangement between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management Limited, part of the Manpower Group. Training is also available for those who have left the armed forces, where training vacancies exist, for up to two years post-discharge.
	The opportunities provided by the CTP include employment fairs, career transition workshops and vocational training courses. These courses, which may last between one and six weeks, cover the full breadth of industry, and number in hundreds. Comprehensive information about all of the job-related training courses and workshops offered by the CTP can be searched or downloaded from:
	https://www.ctp.org.uk/
	Courses are constantly updated to reflect new qualifications and employment market trends.

Armed Forces: Rangers Football Club

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will condemn the sectarian behaviour of some British soldiers at an Armed Forces day at Ibrox Park on 28 September 2013;
	(2)  what disciplinary measures have been taken against British soldiers who took part in sectarian behaviour at Ibrox Park on 28 September 2013;
	(3)  who authorised the appearance of British soldiers at an Armed Forces' day at Ibrox Park on Saturday 28 September 2013;
	(4)  when he was first made aware of the sectarian behaviour of some British soldiers at an Armed Forces' day at Ibrox Park on Saturday 28 September 2013.

Mark Francois: The alleged sectarian activity by British service personnel who attended the match at Ibrox Park on 28 September 2013 is currently being investigated by Police Scotland. The service authorities, where appropriate, are also investigating the behaviour of their personnel who were at the match. This is the appropriate way for these allegations to be dealt with.
	Sectarian behaviour, of any nature, is unacceptable, and is a breach of the armed forces values and standards. Any personnel found to have fallen short of these values and standards will be dealt with appropriately.
	Service personnel were authorised to attend the match (following an invitation from the Rangers Charity Foundation) by the service commanders in Scotland.

Bullying

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the level of absence of civilian staff of his Department attributable to bullying and abuse in the workplace.

Anna Soubry: This information is not held in the format requested. However, it is Ministry of Defence policy that all civilian personnel, regardless of grade, have a right to be treated with dignity and respect. All civilian personnel also have a responsibility to ensure that the working environment is free from all forms of bullying and harassment and that the dignity of others is respected.
	Joint Service Publication 763 sets out the Department's policy on the complaints procedure relating to bullying and harassment, for civilian personnel who feel they have been subject to such behaviour. Complaints of bullying and harassment are taken seriously and are investigated.
	The Department is committed to the health and well-being of employees. We have policies in place setting out how the organisation fulfils its legal obligations, the responsibilities of different functions, details of specialists and the range of services available to help employees maintain health and well-being.
	The Department recognises that well-being and performance are linked and that improving employees' health and well-being will ultimately lead to improved employee and organisational performance. We encourage staff to use the Employee Well-being Service, a helpline which provides support to civilian staff who experience personal or work-related problems.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The amount spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework for financial year 2012-13 was £11,611.

Energy

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount his Department expects to save annually as a result of its £55 million investment in energy saving measures.

Anna Soubry: The amount invested and the savings made through the Energy Spend to Save Programme are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Investment Savings 
			 2011-12 10 7 
			 2012-13 40 33 
			 2013-14 55 70 
			 2014-15 (projected)  70 
			 Total 105 180 
		
	
	The Department expects to continue to save some £70 million annually as a result of this investment.

Energy

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost of the green electricity supply to sites used by his Department in the UK and Germany was in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: Electricity supplies to Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites in Great Britain are now 100% green under a Government Procurement Service initiative. This is cost neutral to the Department as the premium for a green electricity supply is equivalent to the Climate Change Levy rate for electricity.
	A supply of green electricity is not available in Northern Ireland.
	Approximately 75-80% of electricity supplied to MOD bases in Germany is from renewable energy sources under the German Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG) Act. This is not separately contracted for but comes as part of the supply provided by German electricity suppliers.

Energy

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount his Department plans to spend under each cost heading on energy saving projects over the next 10 years.

Anna Soubry: It is currently too early to say how much the Ministry of Defence plans to spend on energy saving projects over the next 10 years.

Energy

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what return on investment his Department receives from the £54.2 million it has spent on energy saving measures to date.

Anna Soubry: The Department's investment of £54.2 million on energy saving measures is expected to provide a return of some £39 million per annum.

Gulf States

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 14W, on Gulf States, whether Royal Air Force support to the US in the Gulf includes intelligence provision and analysis for the purposes of drone strikes. [R]

Andrew Robathan: It does not.

Historical Enquiries Team

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on declassifying and transferring historical files relating to Northern Ireland held at Swadlincote to the National Archive under the 30-year rule.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) policy for the capture, management and final disposal, including transfer to the National Archives, of the MOD's records is detailed in Joint Service Publication 441—Defence Records Management Policy and Procedures. A copy of JSP 441 has been placed in the Library of the House. JSP 441 can also be found on the Gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-441-defence-records-management-policy-and-procedures--2
	All files relating to Northern Ireland held at Swadlincote will be assessed by the MOD and National Archives officials for sensitivity and historic value. Those files deemed worthy of permanent preservation will be selected for transfer to the National Archives.

Libya

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 882W, what the rank and role of UK exchange officers who contributed unmanned aerial vehicle operations in Libya in 2011 was. [R]

Mark Francois: The UK exchange officers were three RAF officers at Flight Lieutenant rank. Their role was to act as pilots for remotely piloted air systems.
	This corrects the response given by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), to my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham and Rainham (Rehman Chishti) on 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 882W.

Lighting

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount his Department spent on energy efficient lighting in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The amount spent on energy efficient lighting since financial year 2011-12 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2011-12 2.1 
			 2012-13 19.4 
			 2013-14 (planned) 10 
		
	
	Data prior to financial year 2011-12 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from Raytheon regarding a Maritime Patrol version of the Sentinel R.1 aircraft.

Philip Dunne: As part of an invitation to industry to provide ideas to inform our Air Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Optimisation Study, representatives of Raytheon have held discussions with officials from the Ministry of Defence. These have included the possibility of modifying the radar on Sentinel to provide a maritime surface search capability, though this would not constitute a full maritime patrol aircraft capability.

Military Bases: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of providing (a) accommodation and (b) IT infrastructure, (c) mandated disabled access requirements and (d) other appropriate facilities for HQ 4th Infantry Brigade and HQ North East (AF Bde HQ) at (i) Imphal Barracks in York and (ii) Catterick Garrison.

Philip Dunne: As the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced on 5 March 2013, Official Report, columns 845-60, the current Headquarters (HQ) 15 (North East) Brigade and HQ 4th (Mechanized) Brigade will merge in Catterick to form the Adaptable Force Brigade Headquarters in the north-east. The new establishment will be called Headquarters 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East. It is currently too early to estimate the costs involved in providing appropriate facilities for HQ 4th Infantry Brigade and HQ North East (AF Bde HQ) at Catterick Garrison. There are no plans to locate HQ 4(th) Infantry Brigade and HQ North East (AF Bde HQ) at Imphal Barracks.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Anna Soubry: As an equal opportunities employer the Ministry of Defence is committed to meet its obligations under the legislation. However, the information requested on the proportion of disabled personnel receiving each level of performance rating is not available in the format requested. The proportion of staff receiving each level of performance rating for 2012-13 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Performance rating(1) All staff(2) (percentage) 
			 5 24.0 
			 4 46.1 
			 3 28.9 
			 2 0.8 
			 1 0.2 
			 Total 100 
			 (1) 5 is graded 'Outstanding' to 1 requiring 'Restoring Efficiency' action. (2) Percentages are calculated from the numbers of non-industrial personnel below the senior civil service recorded as reported upon for the year.

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff were made redundant from non-departmental public bodies accountable to his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many redundancy payments were made in lieu of notice;
	(2)  how many staff in his Department were made redundant in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff received payments in lieu of notice.

Anna Soubry: The following table details the number of officials who left the Ministry of Defence through voluntary release and redundancy or under the terms of the Voluntary Early Release Scheme (VERS) in the last four financial years (FY). A small number of these officials received compensation in lieu of notice (CILON) payments, and the numbers of staff involved are included in the table. Data on non-departmental public bodies' payroll arrangements is not held centrally. A full breakdown of the reasons for staff leaving is given in the Quarterly Civilian Personnel Report (QCPR) which can be found at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/civilian/quarterly-civilian-personnel-report
	
		
			  Financial year 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14(1) 
			 MOD Main     
			 Voluntary Release and Redundancy 180 40 40 40 
			 Voluntary Early Release Scheme (VERS) 0 5,950 3,240 1,890 
			 Received CILON Payments 50 50 90 10 
			      
			 Trading Funds     
			 Voluntary Release and Redundancy 150 470 40 40 
			 (1) To 30 June 2013. Notes: 1. Figures include all permanent, casual and Trading Funds civilian personnel but exclude all Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilians. Data on CILON payments to Trading Funds civilian personnel is not held centrally, 2. Personnel exiting under VERS from 1 July 2011 onwards are listed separately from exits due to alternate voluntary release or redundancy schemes. 3. Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Sustainable Development

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department saves each year through meeting its Greening Government targets by March 2015.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not separately record how much it saves by achieving its Greening Government targets.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the final unmanned aerial vehicle MQ-9 Reapers will be delivered to the UK; how many Reapers will be sent to Afghanistan; and when such a transfer will take place.

Philip Dunne: Five additional Reaper aircraft were ordered in 2010 as part of the investment required to double the UK Reaper remotely piloted aircraft capability.
	Equipment delivery is ongoing, with the first three new Reaper aircraft nearing completion of acceptance testing. The remaining two new Reaper aircraft are planned to begin and complete final acceptance testing over the next two months. Once the new aircraft have completed acceptance testing, they will be moved to Afghanistan. The availability of UK assets in support of current operations in Afghanistan is operationally sensitive; consequently, I will not provide specific details as to do so would prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Northern Ireland

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any plans to use unmanned aerial vehicles over Northern Ireland. [R]

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 36W, where we stated that the Ministry of Defence has no plans for the operational use of any unmanned air systems in the UK.

Warships: Procurement

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the defence industry on procuring a littoral combat ship for future use by the Royal Navy.

Philip Dunne: The Littoral Combat Ship is a US programme which the UK has no involvement in, so no discussions with industry have taken place.
	The nearest Royal Navy equivalent, in terms of breadth of capability, would be the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme, which offers a multi-role platform able to operate in both littoral and open ocean environments. This programme is currently in its Assessment Phase, and the main investment decision is expected to be made around the middle of the decade, when we expect to take the design forward to manufacture.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Greater Manchester

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of anti-social behaviour by people in Manchester have been reported in each year since 1997.

Norman Baker: The number of antisocial behaviour incidents recorded by Greater Manchester police between 2007-08 and 2012-13 (the period for which data arecurrently available) can be viewed in the table. These data were published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 18 July 2013 in their police force area data tables. There are no data held centrally prior to 2007-08.
	
		
			 Antisocial behaviour incidents (non-National Statistics), Greater Manchester police force area, 2007-08 to 2012-13—England and Wales 
			  2007-08(1) 2008-09(1) 2009-10(1) 
			  Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 population Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 population Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 population 
			 Greater Manchester 252,656 99 237,580 93 215,292 83 
		
	
	
		
			  2010-11(2) 2011-12(3, 4) 2012-13(3 ,4) 
			  Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 population Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 population Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 population 
			 Greater Manchester 161,652 62 147,201 56 133,848 50 
			 (1) Official statistics on ASB incidents were collected by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. (2) Official statistics on ASB incidents were collected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in 2010-11. (3) Official statistics on ASB incidents were collected by the Home Office from 2011-12. (4) Following a different approach to recording antisocial behaviour incidents data, figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are not directly comparable with previous years; see Chapter 5 of the User Guide for more information. Note: All police forces record incidents of ASB reported to them in accordance with the provisions of the National Standard for Incident Recording (NSIR). While incidents are recorded under NSIR in accordance with the same ‘victim focused’ approach that applies for recorded crime, these figures are not accredited National Statistics and are not subject to the same level of quality assurance as the main recorded crime collection. Incident counts should be interpreted as incidents recorded by the police, rather than reflecting the true level of victimisation. Other agencies also deal with anti-social behaviour incidents (for example, local authorities and social landlords); incidents reported to these agencies will not generally be included in police figures. Source: Police recorded incidents, Home Office.

Asylum

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 9 February 2011, Official Report, column 335W, on asylum, how many immigrants claimed asylum following detection and being served papers as immigration offenders in each year for which figures are available; how many of those were granted asylum; how many of those were refused permission to remain in the UK and asked to leave the UK; and how many left the UK in each year.

Mark Harper: In answering this question we have interpreted illegal immigrants as individuals who have been served papers as immigration offenders, prior to claiming asylum.
	The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Table 1: Identified illegal immigrants, 1 January 2008 to 30 June 2013 
			 Year of asylum claim 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Claimed asylum following detection 17,024 13,368 9,821 10,679 10,477 5,200 
			 Granted 4,703 3,259 2,520 3,602 3,499 1,483 
			 Refused 9,747 7,830 6,103 5,590 4,678 2,068 
			 Other 2,497 2,169 1,141 1,113 956 378 
			 Removed 4,431 3,607 2,589 2,170 1,574 667 
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to main applicants only. 3. All data relates to individuals served papers as immigration offenders, who subsequently claimed asylum between 1 January 2008 to 30 June 2013. 4. Grants relate to individuals granted asylum or a form of leave eg Humanitarian Protection and Discretionary Leave at first decision. 5. Refusals relate to individuals refused at first decision. 6. Other outcomes relate to asylum applications that have not been granted or refused eg unconcluded, and withdrawn. 7. Removals relate to asylum claims made in the specified years. However, actual removals-may have occurred in year of asylum claim or a subsequent year.

Asylum

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made against the Commercial and Operational Managers Procuring Asylum Support Services project to date, under each of its key performance criteria areas and in each region in which it operates.

Mark Harper: The Home Office does not hold the information centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the ability of households in receipt of support under section 4 of the Asylum Act 1999 to access a landline telephone.

Mark Harper: The accommodation provided to failed asylum seekers under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 is not equipped with landline telephones.

Capita

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by which criteria payments to Capita are performance-related for her Department's procurement contracts.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 14 October 2013
	The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Detainees: Overseas Students

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals detained under immigration powers, in each quarter since January 2009 entered the UK through Tier 4 of the Points Based System.

Mark Harper: The data held on the number of foreign nationals detained under immigration powers who entered the UK through Tier 4, is not held in a format which would enable us to easily collate and report. To obtain this data would involve the examination of individual records, at a disproportionate cost.

Driving under Influence: Drugs

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of (a) purchasing and (b) deploying the Home Office-approved handheld device for use at a police station to enforce the law relating to drug driving is.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information. Once manufactured and type approved, decisions on the purchase and deployment of station-based devices is an operational decision for chief officers, in consultation with drug testing device manufacturers, as they will know what best meets their individual force needs.

Entry Clearances

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it has taken the UK Border Agency to process visa applications in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: We currently split our customer service standards into two categories, 'settlement' and 'non-settlement'.
	The 'settlement' category includes applications:
	to enter the UK to join or accompany a spouse or civil partner; and
	from children to enter the UK to join or accompany a parent that is settled in the UK.
	The ‘non-settlement’ category includes applications to enter the UK:
	as a visitor (including as a tourist, to visit family, to conduct business, as a short-term student);
	as a highly skilled migrant under PBS Tier 1;
	a skilled worker under PBS Tier 2;
	a student under PBS Tier 4;
	a temporary worker under PBS Tier 5 (including Youth Mobility); and
	in all other non-settlement categories (including EEA Family Permits, UK Ancestry, Returning Residents, Transit).
	The average processing times for these two categories of applications for the last five years are:
	
		
			 Non-settlement applications 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Average time taken (days) 5.8 7.4 7.6 7.3 7.2 
			 Application volumes (million) 2.49 2.54 2.46 2.37 2.33 
		
	
	
		
			 Settlement applications 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Average time taken (days) 30.5 40.4 36.2 54.4 51.0 
			 Application volumes 79,000 75,000 78,000 64,000 65,000 
		
	
	We have service standards for processing UK visa applications. Our standards say that we will process:
	90% of non-settlement applications within three weeks, 98% within six weeks and 100% within 12 weeks of the application date; and
	95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the application date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application date.
	We define one week as five working days. The figures for average processing times are given in working days. The processing time starts when the biometric data is given by the applicant, and ends when a decision has been made and is ready for collection by the applicant or has been dispatched to the applicant.

Entry Clearances

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to reduce the cost of a UK visa to bring it into line with the cost of a Schengen Visa.

Mark Harper: We review the cost of UK visas annually and set fees that strike a balance between the cost of processing an application, the importance of attracting certain groups of migrants to the UK in line with wider Government objectives, and the value of a successful application to the migrant.

Entry Clearances

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England have been granted work permits since May 2010.

Mark Harper: holding answer 14 October 2013
	We do not hold statistical information broken down by constituency.
	Tier 2 of the points-based system replaced the work permit arrangements for non-EEA migrants in November 2008.
	The Home Office publishes immigration statistics quarterly including statistics for Tier 2 of the points-based system. You can find these at the following website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/user-guide-to-home-office-immigration-statistics--9
	Since 2008, we have issued work permits to UK-based employers who require them to employ Bulgarian and Romanian workers only.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what developments there have been on the proposal to introduce the minimum income requirement for UK residents with non-EU spouses since the postponement of its implementation.

Mark Harper: A minimum income threshold for sponsoring a spouse or partner and dependent children of non-European Economic Area nationality to settle in the UK under the family Immigration Rules was announced on 11 June 2012 and implemented, as planned, on 9 July 2012. Since 5 July 2013 High Court judgment in MM and Others, against which the Home Office is appealing, applications have been put on hold where grounds relating to the income threshold would be the sole basis for refusal. They will remain on hold until the legal challenge has been finally determined by the courts.

Firearms: Seized Articles

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal firearms were seized upon arrival in the UK in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: In 2012-13, 462 illegal firearms were seized. This figure does not include imitation firearms seized.
	The mis-recording of some firearms as offensive weapons in 2010-11 and 2011-12 means data for this time period is not of sufficient quality to be reliable, therefore this has not been provided.
	Data caveats:
	The figures quoted are management information which are subject to internal quality checks and may be subject to change.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the list held by her Department of individuals and organisations that failed to comply with information requests by the Hillsborough Independent Panel; and what steps is she is taking to ensure all information requested by (a) the IPCC and (b) the Jon Stoddart investigations, is released.

Damian Green: holding answer 10 October 2013
	The Hillsborough Independent Panel was independent of Government. Its report, published on 12 September 2012, made clear that two organisations failed to comply with requests for information by the Hillsborough Independent Panel and the details of these organisations are set out in Appendix 2 of the Panel's report. All Government material was made available to the Panel in full and unredacted form. I know that Bishop James Jones would be happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss this issue in more detail and I would hope that the hon. Member will take up that invitation.
	I am satisfied that the Independent Police Complaints Commission and Operation Resolve (Jon Stoddart investigation) have sufficient powers at their disposal to access any relevant information which is related to the Hillsborough disaster.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assurances she has received on whether all evidence presented to the Independent Police Complaints Commission from (a) South Yorkshire Police and (b) Norman Bettison relating to the Hillsborough disaster is complete.

Damian Green: holding answer 14 October 2013
	We currently believe that the evidence provided by South Yorkshire police and Norman Bettison has been given in good faith and therefore represents all the evidence that has been found so far. South Yorkshire police is under an ongoing duty to continue its searches and alert the Independent Police Complaints Commission to any further material found.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the ceremonial uniform worn by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 14 October 2013
	HM chief inspector of constabulary Tom Winsor's uniform has incurred no costs to the public purse.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary's decision to wear ceremonial uniform at public engagements; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 10 October 2013
	The post of HM chief inspector of constabulary has a ceremonial uniform associated with the appointment. This is not a police uniform. It is for the chief inspector to decide the public engagements at which he wears the uniform to which he is entitled.

Immigration

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests to exercise her discretion in granting leave to remain on compassionate grounds she has received since May 2010; and how many individuals have been granted exceptional leave to remain as a result.

Mark Harper: 48,511 applications for leave to remain outside the rules on compassionate grounds were received between 1 May 2010 and 30 September 2013, of which 15,692 have been granted leave to remain on that basis. Exceptional leave to remain was abolished on 1 April 2003.

Immigration: Appeals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the five countries whose citizens have the highest allowed appeals rate with the percentage of allowed appeals for each country; and if she will break down that percentage by gender of the applicant.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 September 2013
	The requested figures are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: Top 5 highest allowed appeal rates by nationality—in-country appeals 
			  Overall Male Female 
			 Nationality Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) 
			 New Zealand 18 100 8 100 10 100 
			 Cyprus 3 100 3 100 — — 
			 Turkish controlled area of Cyprus 3 100 3 100 — — 
			 Bhutan 2 100 1 100 1 100 
			 Christmas Island 2 100 — — 2 100 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Top 5 highest allowed appeal rates by nationality for out of country appeals 
			  Overall Male Female 
			 Nationality Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) 
			 Barbados 3 100 3 100 — — 
			 Cyprus 2 100 1 100 1 100 
			 Equatorial Guinea 2 100 1 100 1 100 
			 Tajikistan 2 100 — — 2 100 
			 Maldives 1 100 — — 1 100 
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. The data relate to appeal outcomes between April 2012 and March 2013. 3. The ‘Allowed’ rate has been calculated based on the proportion of allowed cases over the total number of cases allowed and dismissed cases during the same period. 4. Figures relate to main applicants only. 5. The data relate to First Tier Appeal Outcomes only. 
		
	
	In addition, the following tables provide the highest volume nationalities and their respective allowed rates for the same period.
	
		
			 Table 3: Top 5 highest volume nationalities for in-country appeals 
			  Overall Male Female Other 
			 Nationality Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) 
			 Pakistan 5,630 35 4,206 35 1,423 35 1 0 
			 Nigeria 3,475 32 1,960 31 1,511 32 4 0 
			 India 3,297 36 2,231 35 1,065 39 1 0 
			 Bangladesh 1,910 38 1,551 36 358 47 1 0 
			 Sri Lanka 1,727 47 1,309 45 418 52 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Top 5 highest volume nationalities for out of country appeals 
			  Overall Male Female Other 
			 Nationality Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) Volume of appeals Allowed (%) 
			 Pakistan 12,099 44 6,921 39 5,178 50 — — 
			 India 3,247 50 1,787 48 1,460 52 — — 
			 Nigeria 3,011 28 1,459 24 1,552 32 — — 
			 Bangladesh 2,708 49 1,580 44 1,127 54 1 0 
			 Iran 1,120 41 432 39 688 42 — — 
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. The data relate to appeal outcomes between April 2012 and March 2013. 3. The ‘Allowed’ rate has been calculated based on the proportion of allowed cases over the total number of cases allowed and dismissed cases during the same period. 4. Figures relate to main applicants only. 5. The data relate to First Tier Appeal Outcomes only.

Immigration: Public Consultation

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many responses her Department's recent consultation on health care for migrants received; and how many such responses were from practitioners and managers in the NHS or related bodies.

Mark Harper: The Home Office has recently concluded a public consultation on measures to better regulate migrant access to the NHS and is now considering carefully the responses received. A consultation report, which will be published shortly, will include statistical information on the profile of respondents, including the total number of responses received and the number of responses from the health sector.

Marriage: Fraud

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports of suspicious marriages taking place she received under Section 24 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

Mark Harper: holding answer 2 September 2013
	Section 24 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 places a duty on registrars to notify the Home Office if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a marriage is one of convenience. Submission of a Section 24 report does not indicate that an offence has been committed; rather it reflects the suspicions of the Registrar. The following table shows the number of Section 24 reports received in each of the last three full years for which we have data.
	
		
			  Section 24 reports received 
			 2010 934 
			 2011 1,741 
			 2012 1,891 
			 Note: All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Members: Correspondence

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will reply to the letters sent to her on 19 July, 9 August, 29 August and 9 September 2013 by the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling regarding the care of Ms Rene Chung.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 September 2013
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), wrote to the right hon. Member on 18 September 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 2 September 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr I Abu.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 8 October 2013.

Narendra Modi

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to reinstate the ban on Gujarat's Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, entering the UK.

Mark Harper: It is the general policy of the Home Office not to disclose, to a third party personal information about another person's immigration status unless there is a substantial public interest in doing so. This is because the Home Office has obligations in law to protect this information. Any visa application from Mr Modi would be considered in accordance with the Immigration Rules.

Offences against Children

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library her Department's full Independent Review of all information received by her Department about organised child sex abuse from 1979 to 1999; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library all internal (a) emails and (b) correspondence sent and received from (i) her, (ii) her private office and (iii) the permanent secretary concerning her Department's independent review of all Home Office files received about organised child sex abuse from 1979 to 1999.

Damian Green: holding answer 6 September 2013
	Through the publication of the terms of reference and the executive summaries of both the interim and final report the permanent secretary of the Home Office has made available all the relevant findings and recommendations from this review.
	The permanent secretary has accepted all the recommendations from the independent reviewer and the Department has implemented all of them.

Offences against Children

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the (a) number of false accusations of child sex offences made each year and (b) amount of police time consequently not spent pursuing genuine cases.

Damian Green: The Home Office police recorded crime data do not record this information.

Passports: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passport applications were made by residents in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in respect of people (a) under the age of 16 years and (b) over the age of 16 years in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: holding answer 2 September 2013
	Her Majesty's Passport Office issued 32,324 passports in the period 2008 to 2012 to applicants whose delivery address postcode matched the postcodes for the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency. The breakdown is in the following table:
	
		
			  Passports Issued to applicants aged under 16 Passports Issued to applicants aged 16 and over 16 Total number of passports issued for all age ranges 
			 2008 4,946 1,846 6,792 
			 2009 4,523 1,657 6,180 
			 2010 4,534 1,847 6,381 
			 2011 4,404 1,846 6,250 
			 2012 4,874 1,847 6,721

Police

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of the Association of Chief Police Officers are (a) subject to misconduct inquiries and (b) on long-term sick leave.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of members of the Association of Chief Police Officers subject to misconduct inquiries.
	There were no members of the Association of Chief Police Officers on long-term certified sickness absence as at 31 March 2013 (most recent data).

Police

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there are in each of the 43 forces as of 1 September 2013; and how many such officers (a) have been arrested in their career, (b) are currently subject to misconduct inquiries and (c) are on long-term sick leave.

Damian Green: Data on the number of police officers in each of the 43 police force areas, as at 31 March 2013 (most recent data), is provided in the table.
	The Home Office does not collect data on the number of officers who have been arrested during their career or those that are currently subject to misconduct inquiries.
	The table also includes data on the number of police officers on long-term certified sickness absence by police force area, as at 31 March 2013 (most recent data).
	
		
			 Total number of police officers(1, 2 )and police officers on long-term certified sickness absence(3, 4, 5, )by police force area, as at 31 March 2013 
			 Number 
			 Police force area Police officers Long-term certified sickness absence 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,873 51 
			 Bedfordshire 1,092 20 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,384 13 
			 Cheshire 2,013 28 
			 Cleveland 1,463 — 
			 Cumbria 1,121 19 
			 Derbyshire 1,827 20 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,082 27 
			 Dorset 1,301 18 
			 Durham 1,362 25 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,112 12 
			 Essex 3,311 78 
			 Gloucestershire 1,198 10 
			 Greater Manchester 7,202 157

Police Service of Northern Ireland

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the total cost of mutual aid provided to the Police Service of Northern Ireland by (a) her Department and (b) other police forces for the policing of the G8 Summit in June 2013.

Damian Green: holding answer 10 October 2013
	The Home Office has not yet received deployment claims from all forces in England and Wales that provided mutual aid for the 2013 G8 summit. However, we estimate these will total approximately £9.7 million. Costs relating to the training of English and Welsh police officers in advance of this deployment total £2.9 million.
	Mutual aid costs for the 2013 G8 summit relating to Police Scotland, the British Transport Police and the Ministry of Defence Police are not held by the Department.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with (a) ACPO and (b) police and crime commissioners on ongoing mutual aid to the Police Service of Northern Ireland by other police forces.

Damian Green: holding answer 10 October 2013
	The Home Office, with the support of the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Office and Scottish Government have initiated a review of mutual aid arrangements across the UK including to Northern Ireland. Key stakeholders including police and crime commissioners and chief officers are being consulted.

Police: Dismissal

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made on the implementation of the register of dismissed police officers; and when such a register will be published.

Damian Green: holding answer 10 October 2013
	The College of Policing is leading work on the development of a national register of officers struck off from the police. This includes considering exactly what form a register should take and how best to publish it. We will provide more information about the timing of publication for the register later this year.

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were made redundant from non-departmental public bodies accountable to her Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many redundancy payments were made in lieu of notice.

James Brokenshire: Home Office non-departmental public bodies have made 290 staff redundant in the last three years, of which 168 received payments in lieu of notice. The number of staff broken down by year is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010-11 173 
			 2011-12 55 
			 2012-13 62

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department were made redundant in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff received payments in lieu of notice.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has made 56 staff compulsorily redundant in the last three years, of these 14 were paid compensation in lieu of notice. The number of staff broken down by year is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 27 
			 2012-13 29

Suicide: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of suicide have occurred in Wrexham in the last five years for which records are available.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated October 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of suicide have occurred in Wrexham in the last five years for which records are available.
	Table 1 provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, for people aged 15 and over, in Wrexham Unitary Authority, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).
	The Office for National Statistics routinely report suicide statistics based on when a death was registered, rather than when it occurred. As suicides are certified by a coroner following an inquest, there can be a considerable delay between when a death is registered and when it occurred.
	Figures for suicides in the United Kingdom, England, Wales and regions of England are published annually on the ONS website and are available from 1981 onwards. The latest statistical bulletin also includes analysis of the impact of registration delays on UK suicide statistics:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/suicides-in-the-united-kingdom/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, Wrexham unitary authority, deaths registered between 2008 and 2012(1, 2, 3, 4) 
			 Registration year Suicides (number) 
			 2008 18 
			 2009 13 
			 2010 14 
			 2011 14 
			 2012 8 
			 (1) Suicide is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 (Intentional self-harm) and YI0-Y34 (Events of undetermined intent). (2) Figures are for people aged 15 and over. (3) Figures are for people usually resident in Wrexham unitary authority, based on boundaries as at August 2013. (4) Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring between 2008 and 2012. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest it can take months for a suicide to be registered in England and Wales. Further information is available on the ONS website: www.ons-gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/suicides-in-the-united-kingdom/2011/stb-suicide-bulletin.html#tab-Impact-of-registration-delays-on-suicide-statistics

Xiu Xing Wang

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Xiu Xing Wang, Home Office reference W1089389 will expect to receive consideration of his submissions of 8 April 2011 and 1 October 2012.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the hon. Member on 17 September 2013 about this case.

Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will ensure that any reports into allegations of sexual assault at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre that have previously been or will in the future be produced by Serco are made available to the public;
	(2)  if her Department will investigate allegations of sexual assault at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre;
	(3)  what procedures are in place to (a) ensure women detained for immigration purposes are protected from sexual assault and harassment and (b) facilitate immigration detainees to report incidences of sexual assault and harassment on the immigration detention estate;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the suitability of detaining women for immigration purposes following the allegations of sexual assault at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre.

Mark Harper: Detention plays a key role in the maintenance of an effective immigration control. We are committed to ensuring that ail detained persons are held safely and that they are treated with dignity and respect. This applies equally to women and men. The allegations relating to Yarl's Wood do not alter that position.
	Bedfordshire police are investigating the allegations that have been made and Home Office Immigration Enforcement is offering full assistance to that investigation. Detainee custody officers working in immigration removal centres (IRC) undergo thorough security checks and complete extensive training before they are certificated to work with detainees. There are strict rules governing interaction with detainees. Any member of staff who contravenes any of the rules governing interaction, whether inside or outside centres, will face disciplinary action, which may lead to dismissal. The use of CCTV cameras in the majority of public areas in IRCs and in all vans used for escorting detainees provides an additional safeguard.
	A formal complaints system operates in all IRCs and all detainees are advised how to complain. Detainees may complain in confidence to members of the Independent Monitoring Board appointed at each centre. In addition, detainees have access to mobile phones and the internet and are therefore able to contact the police direct to report an allegation of sexual assault or harassment.
	All serious misconduct allegations are passed by the Professional Standards Unit of the Home Office to the appropriate authorities, such as the police or other oversight bodies, where appropriate. The police will take forward their own investigations separately to but in parallel with Home Office internal inquiries. Detainees who are not satisfied with the way in which their complaint has been handled may ask for it to be reviewed by the independent prisons and probation ombudsman.
	Reports relating to allegations made by individuals contain personal information and are not published in order to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

SCOTLAND

Dover House

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland with reference to the answer of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 774W, on Dover House, when he expects the costs to be reported in the Cabinet Office annual accounts.

Alistair Carmichael: The Cabinet Office's annual accounts are laid before Parliament before the summer recess immediately following the end of the year to which they relate.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Alistair Carmichael: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join the Office do so on an assignment, secondment or loan agreement from other Government bodies, but principally from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice.
	The Scotland Office is not responsible for end of year performance payments and does not hold information centrally on these matters.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Attorney-General with reference to the recent decision by the Dutch Supreme Court to hold the Dutch Government to account for the actions of its peacekeepers at Srebrenica, what assessment he has made of the implications of that decision for the participation of members of HM Forces deployed in support of UN missions.

Oliver Heald: By long-standing convention, observed by successive administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that the Law Officers may or may not have advised or have been requested to advise on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside government.

Courts: Clothing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Attorney-General what the policy of the Crown Prosecution Service is on the wearing of face coverings in court by (a) defendants, (b) counsel, (c) judges and (d) jurors.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service has no policy in this area. Decisions as to whether or not face coverings should be worn in court are matters for magistrates or judges who are in the best position to regulate proceedings in their own court. Detailed guidance is set out in Chapter 3 of The Equal Treatment Bench Book (2007) issued by the Judicial Studies Board.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by the Law Officers' Departments received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Oliver Heald: In 2012-13, 21.8% of all SFO staff received 'outstanding' in their performance rating, 76.7% received 'effective' and 1.5% received either 'improvement required' or 'unsatisfactory'. The SFO is a small organisation, and to preserve staff confidentiality the proportion of disabled staff receiving each level has not been provided.
	TSol, AGO and HMCPSI staff are measured against four levels of assessment:
	A—Highly Successful
	B—Successful
	C—Improvement Needed
	D—Poor Performance
	Of those staff who have declared themselves as disabled, 23.4% received a performance rating of ‘A’ in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13. 60% received a rating of ‘B’, 8.5% received a rating of ‘C’ and 0% received a ‘D’ rating. Final ratings have yet to be received for 8.1% of those who have declared themselves as disabled.
	The comparative figures for other staff are 29% received a rating of ‘A’, 64% received a rating of ‘B’ 1% received a rating of ‘C’ and 0.1% received a rating of ‘D’. Final ratings have yet to be received by 5.9% of these staff.
	The performance assessment ratings achieved in 2012/13 by (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Not achieved Achieved Exceeded Data not available centrally 
			 Declared disabled 1.9 52.4 7.5 38.2 
			 All other staff 0.7 54.7 10.9 33.7 
			 All CPS 0.7 54.6 10.7 34.0 
		
	
	Unfortunately, data relating to disabled and all other staff is not fully available centrally and to collate a more complete data set would be at disproportionate cost. These issues are now resolved on the upgraded 2013-14 system which means all staff will have a performance and development rating in the future.

Social Services

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General with what proportion of local government social services departments the Crown Prosecution Service has protocol agreements for the disclosure of third-party evidence.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not keep central records as to the number of local protocols it has in place with local authority social service departments over the disclosure of third party material.
	On a national level, however, the CPS is taking forward work to update and refresh the third party protocol signed in 2003 on the exchange of information in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. This is due to be published shortly.

Witnesses

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  what proportion of prosecution witnesses attended court (a) one time and (b) at all in each year since 2007;
	(2)  what proportion of prosecution witnesses in each Crown Prosecution Service area attended court (a) on time and (b) at all in each year since 2007.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data which shows the number of witnesses who attended court on time or on only one occasion. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the files prosecuted by the CPS for contested proceedings, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	The CPS does collect some limited data showing the number of prosecution witnesses who were required to, and attended court, in proceedings where a not guilty plea has been recorded on the case record held in the CPS Case Management System. In each year since 2007 to present the number and proportion of witnesses recorded as attending nationally are:
	
		
			  Required attendance Actual attendance Actual attendance (percentage) 
			 2007 408,528 357,479 87.5 
			 2008 430,085 387,908 90.2 
			 2009 410,740 376,645 91.7 
			 2010 433,166 398,284 91.9 
			 2011 406,340 373,289 91.9 
			 2012 378,661 349,000 92.2 
			 2013 264,556 241,774 91.4 
		
	
	Similar data, prepared for the 13 areas of the CPS, is contained in a table which has been deposited in the Library of the House.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadcasting: Internet

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department makes available for community internet television broadcasting.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS does not provide any funding for community internet television broadcasting.

Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if, following the last State Opening of Parliament where the flagpoles of Parliament Square stood empty as Her Majesty passed, her Department will liaise with the Earl Marshal and Palace of Westminster authorities to ensure that this does not occur in the future.

Helen Grant: The ceremonial arrangements for the State Opening of Parliament are a matter for the Palace of Westminster and the Earl Marshal. It would be for both the Palace of Westminster and the Earl Marshal to make a recommendation to this Department to have flags flown in Parliament Square for the State Opening of Parliament.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by her Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Helen Grant: The following table sets out the percentage of employees, within each performance category, who have declared a disability, and the percentage of all other staff in each performance category for the 2012-13 reporting year. The percentage of all other staff includes staff who have either explicitly declared that they do not have a disability, have chosen the ‘prefer not to say’ option, or have not responded to the question at all.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Excellent Strong Good Less successful Unsuccessful 
			 Percentage of employees who have declared a disability in each performance rating 3 0 4 25 0 
			 Percentage of all other staff employed in each performance rating 97 100 96 75 0

Tourism: India

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to encourage tourism from India to the UK.

Helen Grant: Through VisitBritain, we have created the UK's biggest ever international tourism campaign, the GREAT campaign, to take advantage of Britain's increased international profile following the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Government has committed £30 million to continue the campaign in 2013-14 of which £2.7 million will be specifically targeted at encouraging tourism from India.

World War II: Medals

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women who worked in munitions factories in World War Two receive official individual recognition.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as this falls into my area of responsibility.
	The Government fully appreciates the valiant efforts of all men and women who worked in factories producing vital equipment for the armed forces. Their work made a real contribution to winning the second world war.
	BIS has looked in detail at the possibility of formal recognition of the enormous contribution made by those who manufactured munitions during the War. It was concluded that, given the lack of records and the consequent difficulties in verifying any entitlement, it would not be practical to find a way to recognise the contributions of individual workers, but we continue to discuss with the All Party Parliamentary Group what could be done to mark their contribution collectively.

TRANSPORT

Car Tax

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is of processing a payment for a 12 months tax disc by credit card.

Robert Goodwill: The cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for processing a credit card payment for vehicle excise duty ranges from £1.63 to £5.78 per transaction.
	The cost varies depending on the type of card used, the value of the transaction and the method of the transaction, for example whether it is online or face to face.
	The agency's £2.50 charge is set to recover the average cost of processing the credit card transactions.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the future of the High Speed 1 rail service to Deal, Kent; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: We are currently finalising the specification of all services that will operate under Direct Awards, including the High Speed 1 rail service to Deal. We plan to announce these specifications early next year.

Large Goods Vehicles

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will review (a) its policy of requiring HGV drivers to avoid areas with bridge restrictions of 7.5 tons and (b) the use of satellite navigation systems on such routes.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport has no plans to (a) review the policy of requiring heavy goods vehicle drivers to avoid areas with bridge restrictions of 7.5 tonnes or (b) the use of satellite navigation systems on such routes.
	The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 gives powers to highway authorities to apply weight limits on parts of the local road network which they manage, where they deem it to be appropriate. It is a legitimate local policy to ban heavy goods vehicles from using weak bridges, but there are legal considerations related to maintaining access to premises. These may well be relevant to the consideration of area-wide prohibitions.
	Neither the Department nor individual local authorities have any direct power over the routing of satellite navigation devices, such devices should always be treated as advisory, and it is for the motorists to determine the best route for their journey. We are aware that some satellite navigation system manufacturers produce special devices for heavy goods vehicles to provide them with routing information appropriate to their vehicle, including warning them about narrow roads and low bridges.
	Recent developments in these specific systems have meant that properly-equipped lorry drivers can now avoid low bridges and narrow lanes, saving time, fuel and money as well as reducing the impact on local communities.

Level Crossings

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has power to review decisions of (a) Network Rail and (b) the Rail Safety and Standards Board on the permanent closure of level crossings; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State has no powers to review the decisions of Network Rail on the permanent closure of level crossings.
	The RSSB (formerly the Rail Standards and Safety Board) does not make such decisions but may provide supporting evidence following investigations into specific crossings which will assist Network Rail in making those decisions.

Marchwood Military Port

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for transport what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the sale of the Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood on commercial activities at the port of Southampton.

Stephen Hammond: None. It is for the Port to make its own commercial assessment of any sale proposal.

Public Transport: Rural Areas

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to increase access to public transport in rural areas.

Stephen Hammond: The Government recognises that the provision of public transport in rural areas is a challenge for all of us. We consider local authorities working with the local community and voluntary sector are best placed to identify local solutions and spending priorities. We are reforming the subsidy arrangements for local bus services to allow the authorities control of where the funding provided by Government is spent.
	The Government supports access to public transport, including that in rural areas, through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG). In the June 2013 spending review we confirmed that spending on BSOG will be protected until 2015-16 despite tough economic times.
	In ‘Green Light for Better Buses’ (2012) we set out proposals for reforms to improve local bus subsidy arrangements and regulations in England. A key part of these proposals is paying some BSOG directly to local authorities, rather than operators, thus giving communities more control over how money is spent. The change to pay BSOG to local authority for their supported services outside London will come into force from 1 January 2014. The funding will be ring-fenced until the end of 2016-17.
	We are supporting access to public transport in rural areas via a number of the successful bids to the £600 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF). We have provided £20 million to help authorities in rural areas establish more community transport schemes. We also support Community Rail schemes the majority of which serve rural areas.

Railways: Fares

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of rail passengers will be helped by his Department's decision to cap rail fare increases at 6.1 per cent.

Stephen Hammond: Train operators are not required to submit to the Department a list of fares rises that they would have sought to implement under the flex policy that existed prior to the publication of the Fares and Ticketing Review, so a direct comparison is not available.
	We would not expect that the majority of passengers would have seen fares rises more than 2% above the regulated cap notwithstanding this change. However, this policy will provide additional reassurance for all passengers that their fares will not be among those that would have seen the largest rises.

Rescue Services

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposed changes to the Coastguard Service on the operations of local RNLI stations and volunteers; and if he will publish any such assessment.

Stephen Hammond: The programme to modernise Her Majesty's Coastguard focuses on the co-ordination of civilian maritime search and rescue and the management of the Coastguard Rescue Service. The RNLI, like Coastguard Rescue Teams, independent lifeboats, rescue helicopters and other rescue facilities are not affected by these changes.

Rescue Services

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with the RNLI on proposed coastguard station closures.

Stephen Hammond: Maritime and Coastguard Agency officials have bi-monthly meetings with the RNLI to discuss areas of mutual interest. These meetings include updates on progress of the Coastguard Modernisation Programme.

Rescue Services: Fylde

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of coastguard station coverage along the Fylde coast in respect of the latest mortality figures available for the Fylde coast.

Stephen Hammond: There are no changes to either the ability of Her Majesty's Coastguard to co-ordinate maritime search and rescue or the coverage or the availability of the Coastguard Rescue Service along the Fylde Coast, or the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The availability and coverage of all front line rescue resources including Coastguard Rescue Teams, lifeboats, and rescue helicopters remain unaffected by the modernisation of HM Coastguard.

Rescue Services: Liverpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the coverage by emergency towing vessels of the area served by the Liverpool Coastguard MRCC; and how this has varied in the last two years.

Stephen Hammond: There has never been a Government-funded emergency towing vessel stationed off the north-west of England.
	Ships requiring a towage service in this area have routinely called upon the services of commercially available tugs. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is not aware of any incidences of any failure in delivering the services required when needed.
	The number of tugs immediately available to ships tend to vary on a day-to-day basis as dictated by the commercial market. The MCA has no evidence to show that overall availability has decreased in the last two years.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Members: Females

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps he is taking to increase the number of women elected to Parliament.

Helen Grant: The 2010 general election saw a record number of women candidates and there are now more female parliamentarians than at any other time. Following the cross-party 2010 Speaker's Conference Report on Parliamentary Representation, the Government is working with the parties and Parliament to encourage more women to seek election. We have implemented provisions in the Equality Act 2010 which enable political parties to use positive action, should they wish to; extended the ability to use women-only shortlists to 2030, and to reserve seats on electoral shortlists for those with particular under-represented characteristics; and secured commitment from the three main parties to provide greater transparency over candidate selection, through the collection and publication of candidates' diversity data.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by the Government Equalities Office received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Helen Grant: The following table sets out the percentage of GEO employees, within each performance category, who have declared a disability, and the percentage of all other staff in each performance category for the 2012-13 reporting year. The percentage of all other staff includes staff who have either explicitly declared that they do not have a disability, have chosen the ‘prefer not to say’ option, or have not responded to the question at all.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Exceeded Achieved Must improve 
			 Percentage of employees who have declared a disability in each performance rating 0 100 0 
			 Percentage of all other staff employed in each performance rating 24 76 0

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Himalayas

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if there are plans financially to support UK-based INGO initiatives that support market-led initiatives for the Great Himalayan Trail.

Alan Duncan: The Great Himalaya Trail programme's current phase will end in December 2013. The UK will continue supporting the tourism sector under DFID's existing Nepal Market Development Programme. If there are opportunities for implementing market-led initiatives, the UK will certainly call for proposals from all stakeholders including UK-based NGOs through a competitive bidding process.

Pakistan

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of progress in eradicating polio in Peshawar, Pakistan; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the role that the UK-based Pakistani diaspora in the UK can have in promoting polio vaccination campaigns in Pakistan.

Justine Greening: Pakistan has reported a total of 40 polio cases in 2013, two of these in Peshawar.
	We remain committed to working with the Governments of Pakistan, the World Health Organisation, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and others to maintain the progress of recent years and ultimately see the eradication of polio from Pakistan. We urge the Pakistani diaspora to support this work through activity such as Rotary International's 'End Polio Now' campaign.

Palestinians

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effects of the (a) demolition by Egypt of the tunnels into Gaza and (b) reduced access through Rafah on the daily supplies of food, fuel, construction materials and medicines entering Gaza.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government has long been concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza which has arisen due to the impact of the movement and access restrictions imposed by the Government of Israel. I saw the impact first hand when I visited Gaza in April 2013. DFID continues to engage with the relevant authorities to encourage more steps towards the lifting of the restrictions.
	The recent closure of the tunnels and reduced access through the Rafah Crossing have compounded an already precarious economic and humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UN has reported that fuel is available from Israel but the cost is prohibitively high. Service providers including hospitals and the Gaza Power Plant are facing shortages.

Palestinians

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to her Israeli counterparts on increasing the flow of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza from Israel through Kerem Shalom.

Alan Duncan: We remain deeply concerned about the precarious humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UK Government continues to engage with the Israeli authorities to encourage more steps towards the full lifting of movement and access restrictions on Gaza.

Palestinians

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effects of Israel's restrictions on Palestinian fishing boats off Gaza on the (a) income and (b) nutritional status of Palestinians.

Alan Duncan: Gazan fishermen are currently unable to access the majority of their catch due to the six nautical mile fishing limit imposed by Israel. This is deeply concerning. More than 12,000 individuals earn their living directly from the fishing industry and many others do so from related industries. The UN has reported that long-term access restrictions on agricultural land and fishing areas have resulted in estimated economic losses of over $76 million.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by her Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Alan Duncan: DFID currently uses a four box system for performance management purposes. Box one is the highest performance rating which can be awarded. Those in box four are most in need of improvement.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Disability No disability 
			 Box 4 (1)— 2 
			 Box 3 38 32 
			 Box 2 51 48 
			 Box 1 8 18 
			 (1) Number too small to report publicly due to data protection legislation

Syria

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the UK is providing to Lebanon and Jordan to cope with the large numbers of refugees from Syria.

Justine Greening: The UK has allocated or is in the final stages of allocating £153.5 million to support refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon. This is providing food for over 130,000 people per month, 44,000 medical consultations and an improved water supply for over 27,000 people.
	We are very concerned about the impacts of the refugee crisis on neighbouring countries. They have been extremely generous in hosting Syrian refugees, and we urge them to continue to show that generosity by welcoming those seeking safety from violence and keeping their borders open.
	The UK is continuing to lead in the humanitarian response and is calling on the international community to commit more humanitarian funding urgently and to reduce the shortfall in the UN appeal for Syria and to fulfil funding pledges they have made to date.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

David Lidington: The information is as follows:
	(a) During the period 2009-13, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Facilities Management Client Unit completed the following number of UK office relocations in London and Hanslope Park:
	
		
			  Number of moves Cost (£) 
			 2009-10 48 286,337 
			 2010-11 58 381,494 
			 2011-12 41 332,106.61 
			 2012-13 31 168,339.26 
			 Total 178 1,168,276.00 
		
	
	The FCO's London estate comprises of four separate buildings. All of the relocations carried out during this period were within their respective buildings or between buildings on the London estate, at an overall cost of £1,168,276.
	For Hanslope Park, there were three internal moves within a building at a cost of £10,371.18 and three moves between buildings at a cost of £51,445.55. This sum includes the relocation of FCO staff working in the Legalisation Unit in Norfolk House to Northgate House, Milton Keynes in February 2013. This move resulted in a rental saving to the FCO of £140,784.
	Where the FCO has undertaken refurbishment in relation to these moves, the Department expects to occupy the space for at least four years.
	The figures relate only to moves that have taken place in the period that have attracted an additional cost to the FCO. No information has been supplied for the moves that take place as part of the fixed contract cost of the facilities management contract. The FM contract allows for moves of five people or less to be delivered within the fixed contract cost. Those moves are a very minor part of the wider contract and so no specific figure for their cost is available.
	There have also been 24 relocations in our global estate during the period 2009-13. Refurbishment and removal costs relating to these moves could be identified only at disproportionate cost.
	There will have been other smaller relocations in overseas offices which will have been funded by the respective embassy or high commission budget. To gather details on these would also represent disproportionate cost.
	(b) During the period 2009-13, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's non-departmental public bodies completed the following office relocations:
	British Council
	The British Council holds 250 commercial properties in 112 countries, predominantly leaseholds. The majority are offices and centres either for teaching or for the supervision of exams. The property holdings are kept under active review to identify opportunities to secure financial savings, e.g. by exercising lease break opportunities or from lease expiries as these arise. Any decisions on relocation across the commercial estate are determined locally, on a range of criteria that includes business needs, security issues and cost-effectiveness. Data on the number and costs of relocation across the whole global estate could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
	In 2012 the British Council undertook a full review of its UK estate to reduce costs in the medium and long-term, leading to relocations of its offices in Belfast and Edinburgh to smaller, more cost-effective premises and the reduction of space in the London and Manchester offices. In London, two floors were let to a subtenant within the government civil estate, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The combined property costs for these four projects were £9.09 million. In total the changes made to the UK estate in 2012 have delivered savings on occupancy costs of £3 million per year
	FCO Services
	Between 2009-10 and 2012-13 FCO Services undertook 11 relocations for which they were charged, at a cost of £13,000. All of these moves took place at their Hanslope Park Site, in buildings which have been in continuous use by FCO Services throughout that period.

Egypt

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any UK arms have been sent to Egypt (a) directly and (b) via another source since 30 July 2013.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	This Department only holds information about licences granted and not about equipment actually supplied, especially where that supply is from or through an overseas country.
	As per my answer of 9 September 2013, Official Report, column 638-9W, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr Godsiff), the Government reviewed all extant licences for military-rated goods for Egypt in light of recent events in that country. As a result of that review we suspended all licences for supply of military-rated goods to the Egyptian Army, Air Force, Internal Security Forces and Ministry of the Interior. In total 48 licences were suspended on 28 August 2013. No licences for these end-users have been granted since that date.
	172 licences for military-rated goods remain extant for Egypt. We do not have information showing what goods may have been supplied under any of these licences since 30 July 2013.

Gibraltar

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to protect fishing rights in Gibraltar.

David Lidington: In line with the 2006 Gibraltar Constitution, the Government of Gibraltar is responsible for the laws of Gibraltar, including those regulating fishing in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). With regard to unlawful fishing in BGTW by Spanish fishermen, the Government has consistently supported efforts by the Government of Gibraltar to reach a local solution and is confident that they have a credible plan to do so.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 475W.

Kieron Bryan

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the Russian authorities to allow the family of detained British journalist Kieron Bryan to visit him in detention; and if he will help Mr Bryan's family to obtain the necessary visas.

David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular officials are in close contact with the families of all British nationals who were aboard the Greenpeace vessel the ‘Arctic Sunrise’.
	Consular officials in Russia are also discussing family visits with the Russian authorities and seeking answers as soon as possible. Officials will keep Mr Bryan's family updated on the process for visiting him and will provide advice on visa applications.

Kieron Bryan

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the Russian authorities to allow detained British journalist Kieron Bryan a telephone call with his family.

David Lidington: Consular officials in Russia have raised the importance of those British nationals detained aboard the Arctic Sunrise being able to make calls to their families. The Russian authorities have clarified the procedures for making a call in the detention facility in Murmansk and we have explained these to Mr Bryan and the other British nationals detained. Consular officials will continue to monitor this closely.

Kieron Bryan

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last raised the issue of the detention of British journalist Kieron Bryan; and with whom he raised that issue.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the detention of six British nationals who were onboard the Greenpeace vessel, the ‘Arctic Sunrise’, with Russia's Foreign Minister on 25 September and subsequently wrote to him on 6 October. In addition, on 3 October, the Secretary of State met Greenpeace executive director, John Sauven. The Secretary of State continues to follow the case very closely. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth officials have also raised this case with Russia's ambassador to the UK on 26 September and we have followed up with officials in Moscow. We will continue to provide full consular assistance and monitor the case closely. Officials are in regular contact with the families of the British nationals detained, including Mr Bryan's.

Kieron Bryan

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the detention of British journalist Kieron Bryan.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the detention of six British nationals who were onboard the Greenpeace vessel, the ‘Arctic Sunrise’, with Russia's Foreign Minister on 25 September and subsequently wrote to him on 6 October. In addition, on 3 October, the Secretary of State met Greenpeace executive director, John Sauven. The Secretary of State continues to follow the case very closely. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth officials have also raised this case with Russia's ambassador to the UK on 26 September and we have followed up with officials in Moscow. We will continue to provide full consular assistance and monitor the case closely. Officials are in regular contact with the families of the British nationals detained, including Mr Bryan's.

Kieron Bryan

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Russian authorities regarding the detention of British journalist Kieron Bryan.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the detention of six British nationals who were onboard the Greenpeace vessel, the ‘Arctic Sunrise’, with Russia's Foreign Minister on 25 September and subsequently wrote to him on 6 October. In addition, on 3 October, the Secretary of State met Greenpeace executive director, John Sauven. The Secretary of State continues to follow the case very closely. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth officials have also raised this case with Russia's ambassador to the UK on 26 September and we have followed up with officials in Moscow. We will continue to provide full consular assistance and monitor the case closely. Officials are in regular contact with the families of the British nationals detained, including Mr Bryan's.

Laos

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking with his Laotian counterpart to raise the cases of Seng-Aloun Phengphanti and Thongpaseuth Keuakoun.

Hugo Swire: On the basis of information received from the Lao authorities during the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue in 2012, we believe prisoners Thongpaseuth Keuakoun and Seng-Aloun Phengphanti were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on treason charges. The UK, as part of the EU delegation, raised their cases during the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue in February 2013 and expressed concerns. The Lao authorities provided no formal update on their custodial status.
	Our recently re-opened embassy in Vientiane continues to raise individual cases with the Lao Government and to urge Laos to adhere to its international human rights commitments.

Libya

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional measures have been put in place by the EU to tackle illegal immigration from Libya since the fall of the Gadaffi regime.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The political instability and poor security situation in Libya have made it extremely challenging to put in place additional measures to tackle the problem of illegal immigration transiting its territory. Nonetheless, the EU has taken steps to improve cooperation with Libya on migration issues since the fall of the Gadaffi regime, with some success.
	In 2012, Libya signed an agreement in principle with the EU authorising European Border Surveillance (EUROSUR) to act on its borders. EUROSUR is an external border surveillance system for the Schengen area, which is planned to become operational in December.
	Furthermore, on 19 September 2013, it was announced that an agreement had been reached between the European Commission, southern EU member states and Libya to launch the Seahorse Mediterraneo project. The project envisages the establishment of a satellite-based communication network among the countries involved and the delivery of training to those working in the field of border management in Libya.
	It is very clear that cooperation with Libya is vital if tragedies like the one seen in Lampedusa on 3 October are to be prevented. It is hoped that an improvement in the political and security circumstances in Libya will enable increased cooperation, and the implementation of further measures to prevent migrants from embarking on perilous journeys from Libya to the EU.

North Korea

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of (a) prospects for the collapse of the North Korean Government and (b) the potential consequences of the collapse of the North Korean Government; and what plans his Department has produced to respond to any such consequences.

Hugo Swire: North Korea's system of government is opaque. As such, it is difficult to make a comprehensive assessment of the stability of the regime and we can never rule out the possibility of sudden, unpredictable events. However, based on the information we have, including observations from our embassy in Pyongyang, we assess that there is little chance of a North Korean Government collapse at present.
	Kim Jong Un appears to have consolidated power since taking over leadership of the country from his father Kim Jong il in 2011. There is no evidence of a significant opposition movement to the North Korean Government: North Korea imposes significant restrictions on freedom of speech, association and movement and there are heavy penalties for political dissent.
	The consequences of any collapse of the North Korean Government would depend on the cause and nature of the event. The UK maintains consular contingency plans for every country.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) takes seriously its obligations to collect diversity data as required by the Equality Act 2010. All staff have been asked to provide personal diversity data to be held anonymously, and we continue to encourage increased declaration by staff. However, to date, the record is not complete enough to provide an accurate picture of performance ratings for staff with a disability and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Of the total number of staff appraisals completed in 2012-13 the percentage of the delegated grades receiving each level of performance rating is as follows (rounded to nearest whole number):
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 Exceptional (the highest rating) 11 
			 Effective 1 55 
			 Effective 2 30 
			 Effective 3 4 
		
	
	The FCO follows Cabinet Office guidance on performance and pay distributions for senior civil servant (SCS) staff. This equates to the following percentage of SCS staff receiving each performance level:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 Performance box 1 (the highest rating) 25 
			 Performance box 2 65 
			 Performance box 3 10 
		
	
	In addition a maximum of 25% of SCS staff may receive a one-off annual performance related payment for exceptional work.
	The information above relates to UK-based staff only. Annual appraisal information for locally engaged staff is held at individual overseas posts and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Syria

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in establishing a substantial and co-ordinated resettlement programme in the UK for Syrian refugees; and what recent discussions he has had with other EU member states on this matter.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Government shares the deep concerns of other EU member states regarding the continuing humanitarian crisis in Syria. But the Government has no current plans to resettle Syrian refugees. We continue to believe that the EU's immediate priority should be to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced people in partnership with neighbouring countries and UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
	The UK has now increased its pledge for the Syrian relief effort to £500 million. This represents the UK's largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.
	We continue to discuss the Syrian crisis with our European partners and the Minister for Security reiterated our position at the recent Justice and Home Affairs Council on 8 October.

Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with the Moroccan ambassador the report that the bodies of eight Saharawi, including two children who were extrajudicially executed by the Moroccan armed forces in 1976 have been found and that no information on any of the eight cases was revealed by the Equality and Reconciliation Commission.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of this report and the discovery of the remains of persons in the Fadret Leguiaa area. The Moroccan National Human Rights Council (CNDH) issued a statement explaining that the discovery was made after the Equality and Reconciliation Commission's mandated term. We regularly raise human rights issues in our dialogue with the Moroccan authorities at ministerial and official level.

Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will (a) raise with the Moroccan ambassador and (b) instruct the UK ambassador in Rabat to investigate the violent break-up of a demonstration by unemployed Saharawi graduates on 31 August 2013 in El Aauin, Western Sahara and allegations of beatings leading to hospitalisation.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of reports of a recent demonstration. Former Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), raised Human Rights issues in Western Sahara with the Moroccan ambassador and with my Moroccan counterpart during his trip to Rabat last month. He pressed the need for Morocco to respond to and act upon the reports from the Moroccan National Council of Human Rights (CNDH). I will continue to press these issues.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of applications for disability living allowance were rejected in each month from May 2013 to September 2013.

Michael Penning: The proportion of disability living allowance (DLA) new claim applications that have been rejected are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Table (a): DLA new claims rejected 
			  Percentage rejected 
			 April 2013 51.9 
			 May 2013 49.2 
			 June 2013 49.9 
			 July 2013 46.5 
			 August 2013 41.6 
			 September 2013 35.6 
			 Total 47.7 
			 Source: Department for Work and Pensions—RDA60209 and RDA60205 reports—Disability Living Allowance Management Information Statistics

Disability Living Allowance

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for disability living allowance were rejected in each of the last (a) six months and (b) five years for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: The proportion of disability living allowance (DLA) new claim applications that have been rejected are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table (a): DLA new claims rejected 
			  Number rejected 
			 April 2013 18,567 
			 May 2013 16,157 
			 June 2013 13,304 
			 July 2013 10,840 
			 August 2013 6,795 
			 September 2013 4,068 
			 Total 69,731 
		
	
	
		
			 Table (b): DLA new claims rejected 
			  Number rejected 
			 2009-10 266,902 
			 2010-11 257,039 
			 2011-12 243,601 
			 2012-13 227,949 
			 2013-14 69,731 
			 Source: Department for Work and Pensions—RDA60209 and RDA60205 reports—Disability Living Allowance Management Information Statistics

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many employment and support allowance claimants receiving a sanction have been issued with a written statement explaining the reason for the sanction since 12 February 2013;
	(2)  how many jobseeker's allowance claimants receiving a sanction have been issued with a written statement explaining the reason for the sanction since 12 February 2013.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions does not collate the data centrally for jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance claimants and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employers have received wage incentives provided under the Youth Contract in each month since June 2012.

Esther McVey: Data on the number of employers receiving wage incentives are not available. First statistics on wage incentives, released on 22 July 2013, showed that from June 2012 up to and including May 2013 employers received payments for 4,690 young people.
	Source:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youth-contract-wage-incentive-payments-experimental-statistics

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the consequence is for entitlement to housing benefit when a claimant loses jobseeker's allowance for a period as a result of a sanction.

Steve Webb: Housing benefit would be unaffected as long as entitlement to the sanctioned income-based jobseeker's allowance remains. Where a sanction results in cessation of entitlement to the sanctioned benefit (that is, in this case either income-based or contributory-based jobseeker's allowance), housing benefit would need to be reassessed.
	Additionally, regulations exist which allow sanctions to be applied to benefit payability. These provisions can affect the amount of housing benefit payable, but not where a Two Strike sanction has been applied to income-based jobseeker's allowance. Further details are at paragraphs 6.230 onwards of the Housing Benefit Guidance Manual:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236955/hbgm-a6-deciding-and-paying-benefit.pdf

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in the London borough of Brent have been affected by the recent changes to the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available

Housing Benefit: Young People

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was distributed in the financial year 2012-13 in local housing allowance to persons under the age of 25 in each local authority area in the UK for both (a) local authority or housing association provided housing and (b) privately rented accommodation; and what was the percentage change in such amounts in each case compared with the previous financial year.

Steve Webb: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The information is not available for Great Britain. The information relating to Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.
	(b) Figures for 2012-13 are not yet available, but will be published on the DWP website after the departmental accounts have been published. The information for 2011-12 and the percentage change compared with 2010-11 for Great Britain will be placed in the Library. The information relating to Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.
	The breakdown of LHA expenditure into those under 25 is estimated based on a combination of statistical data and local authority subsidy returns, as outturn expenditure data is not available at this level.

Jobcentre Plus

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average length of telephone calls to the 0800 055 6688 Jobcentre Plus telephone line is;
	(2)  what proportion of phone calls received by the 0800 055 6688 Jobcentre Plus telephone line came from mobile telephones in each of the last three years.

Esther McVey: For the period 1 April 2013 to 4 October 2013 the average length of telephone calls to 0800 055 6688 was 13 minutes 21 seconds.
	Information on the proportion of calls received from mobile telephones is not recorded by the Department.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the number of sanctions issued features in each Jobcentre Plus adviser's internal review; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus uses advisers' personal reviews to monitor performance, to inform these they use a variety of performance data, including sanctions referrals.

Jobseeker's Allowance

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to improve access to ESOL courses for claimants of jobseeker's allowance.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus works with local colleges and training providers to ensure courses are available to meet claimant and labour market needs. DWP and BIS are also preparing for the introduction of English language training for claimants with poor spoken English, as announced by the Chancellor in the spending round.

Occupational Pensions: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the preparedness of businesses in (a) the North West and (b) Pendle constituency to automatically enrol their employees in a pension plan between 1 April 2014 and 1 April 2015.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The Pensions Regulator conducts regular research into employer awareness, understanding and activity at a UK level. The latest results (published in August 2013) can be found at:
	http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/employer-awareness-workplace-pensions-report-spring-2013.pdf

Occupational Pensions: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) the North West and (b) Pendle constituency are not currently contributing to a pension.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker to Andrew Stephenson, dated October 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) the North West and (b) Pendle constituency are not currently contributing to a pension. (170828).
	It is not possible to estimate the number of people not currently contributing to any type of pension. However, the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) collects information about workplace pensions in the United Kingdom; that is, pension schemes that are run or facilitated by employers. Using ASHE data, it is not possible to estimate the number of people who do not currently contribute to a workplace pension, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportion of jobs. Estimates are available at regional level, but they are not available at the level of parliamentary constituencies.
	In April 2012, the latest period for which results are available, the proportion of employee jobs in the North West in which the employee was not a member of a workplace pension scheme was 54 per cent.

Occupational Pensions: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses in (a) the North West and (b) Pendle constituency will have to automatically enrol their employees in a pension plan between 1 April 2014 and 1 April 2015.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The Pensions Regulator estimates that there will be in the range of 30,000-40,000 employers across the UK commencing their automatic enrolment duties from 1 April 2014 to 1 April 2015. This is an approximate range; several factors affect these numbers. For example, an employer may bring their staging dates forward from future periods, an employer may cease trading, or an employer who has a number of affiliated employers in their group may choose to stage them all in the same period.

Occupational Pensions: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses in (a) the North West and (b) Pendle constituency have automatically enrolled their employees in a pension plan.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The Pensions Regulator publishes monthly the volume of employers that have registered that they have met their duties along with the volume of employees automatically enrolled. As at 30 August 2013, 2,256 employers have registered with the Pensions Regulator that they have met the duties.
	Further information can be found at:
	http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/automatic-enrolment-monthly-registration-report-2013.pdf

Social Security Benefits

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what processes are in place to identify households that will potentially be affected by the household benefit cap.

Esther McVey: Analysis of DWP, HMRC and local authority benefit payment systems is undertaken to identify households potentially affected by the benefit cap. This data are then verified against live benefit systems enabling only appropriate cases to be referred to the local authorities for capping.

Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the financial value of volunteering and unpaid care by staff of his Department.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Work Programme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether individuals who have been affected by the household benefit cap were offered early access to the Work Programme.

Esther McVey: Employment and support allowance, incapacity benefit, income support (England only) and jobseeker allowance claimants are able to gain early access to the Work programme.
	JSA claimants in the 18 to 24 and 25+ claimant groups would normally access the Work programme at nine or 12 months. However, since June 2012 the Department has made early access to the Work programme available to those JSA claimants likely to be affected by the benefit cap. They are able to volunteer for early access to the Work programme after three months of pre-Work programme support from Jobcentre Plus.

JUSTICE

Archaeology: Licensing

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many licences were issued to archaeologists to dig in areas where they might find human remains in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those licences in each year subsequently had the terms or conditions of the licence amended.

Shailesh Vara: The number of licences granted to exhume buried human remains for archaeological purposes issued in each year since 2006 is set out in the following table. We do not hold data for the earlier years.
	
		
			  Number of archaeological exhumation licences issued 
			 2006 241 
			 2007 68 
			 2008 162 
			 2009 200 
			 2010 207 
			 2011 194 
			 2012 242 
			 2013 (at 9 October 2013) 188 
		
	
	Details of licences where terms or conditions have been amended have only been collected since the beginning of this year and currently stand at 14. In all of these cases the change was to allow the archaeologists more time to conduct their investigations or to deposit the finds in a museum.

Council Tax: Non-payment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to HM Courts and Tribunals Service is of issuing a summons for non-payment of council tax which (a) results and (b) does not result in a hearing.

Shailesh Vara: Where a person fails to pay the council tax after it has been demanded, the local authority may apply to the magistrates court for a liability order which authorises a range of measures for the enforcement of the unpaid charge. The Council Tax Regulations 1992 do not provide for magistrates courts to look into questions concerning liability or amount due. Magistrates courts are required by law to look into a limited range of issues, and the only defences available against the making of a liability order are:
	the amount has not been demanded in accordance with the regulations;
	the amount demanded was duly paid; and
	the complaint for a liability order was made more than six years after the amount became due under the regulations.
	As such, the court HM Court Service does not issue summons for non-payment of council tax. Proceedings for liability orders are rarely contested and so do not typically result in a hearing.

Courts

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, columns 725-6W, on courts: Wales, what progress he has made centrally collating information on the number of litigants in person in civil and family court cases since 1 April 2013.

Shailesh Vara: We continue to use the measure of legal representation as a proxy for litigants in person. We have no plans to change this measure. We aim to publish results regarding legal representation in civil and family case next year broken down by region in Court Statistics Quarterly:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/series/court-statistics-quarterly

Courts: Buildings

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which court buildings announced for closure since May 2010 (a) have closed and (b) have yet to close.

Shailesh Vara: 138 of the 142 courts announced as part of the Court Estate Reform Programme (CERP) in December 2010 have now closed. The remaining courts scheduled to close are Andover magistrates court, Rhyl County Court and Alton magistrates court. Due to changes in workload Bicester magistrates court will no longer close under the Programme.
	In addition to the courts announced for closure under the Court Estate Reform Programme the Ministry of Justice has closed and disposed of a number of court buildings as a result of the integration and co-location of courts.

Legal Aid Scheme

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total amount spent on legal aid in each of the last five years was.

Shailesh Vara: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Jeremy Wright), on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 171W,

National Tactical Response Group

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on which occasions the National Tactical Response Group was called out in each month since January 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service's National Tactical Response Group is a specialist national resource to assist both public and private sector establishments in safely managing and resolving serious incidents in prisons.
	The following table sets out the occasions from 1 January 2013 to 30 September 2013 when the National Tactical Response Group has been called out to public and private sector establishments. This information does not include aborted call outs:
	
		
			 Count Call out date 
			 1 2 January 2013 
			 2 3 January 2013 
			 3 3 January 2013 
			 4 4 January 2013 
			 5 4 January 2013 
			 6 8 January 2013 
			 7 9 January 2013 
			 8 10 January 2013 
			 9 11 January 2013 
			 10 28 January 2013 
			 11 28 January 2013 
			 12 29 January 2013 
			 13 4 February 2013 
			 14 5 February 2013 
			 15 7 February 2013 
			 16 8 February 2013 
			 17 13 February 2013 
		
	
	
		
			 18 14 February 2013 
			 19 16 February 2013 
			 20 18 February 2013 
			 21 21 February 2013 
			 22 22 February 2013 
			 23 27 February 2013 
			 24 28 February 2013 
			 25 2 March 2013 
			 26 3 March 2013 
			 27 4 March 2013 
			 28 6 March 2013 
			 29 9 March 2013 
			 30 11 March 2013 
			 31 11 March 2013 
			 32 12 March 2013 
			 33 12 March 2013 
			 34 13 March 2013 
			 35 13 March 2013 
			 36 16 March 2013 
			 37 23 March 2013 
			 38 30 March 2013 
			 39 1 April 2013 
			 40 1 April 2013 
			 41 2 April 2013 
			 42 2 April 2013 
			 43 4 April 2013 
			 44 7 April 2013 
			 45 11 April 2013 
			 46 11 April 2013 
			 47 16 April 2013 
			 48 17 April 2013 
			 49 19 April 2013 
			 50 22 April 2013 
			 51 23 April 2013 
			 52 25 April 2013 
			 53 26 April 2013 
			 54 26 April 2013 
			 55 27 April 2013 
			 56 5 May 2013 
			 57 5 May 2013 
			 58 6 May 2013 
			 59 7 May 2013 
			 60 8 May 2013 
			 61 10 May 2013 
			 62 12 May 2013 
			 63 14 May 2013 
			 64 17 May 2013 
			 65 20 May 2013 
			 66 20 May 2013 
			 67 21 May 2013 
			 68 23 May 2013 
			 69 23 May 2013 
			 70 23 May 2013 
			 71 26 May 2013 
			 72 27 May 2013 
			 73 30 May 2013 
			 74 30 May 2013 
			 75 31 May 2013 
			 76 2 June 2013 
			 77 2 June 2013 
			 78 2 June 2013 
			 79 2 June 2013 
			 80 3 June 2013 
			 81 7 June 2013 
		
	
	
		
			 82 7 June 2013 
			 83 10 June 2013 
			 84 10 June 2013 
			 85 12 June 2013 
			 86 16 June 2013 
			 87 17 June 2013 
			 88 17 June 2013 
			 89 17 June 2013 
			 90 18 June 2013 
			 91 18 June 2013 
			 92 18 June 2013 
			 93 18 June 2013 
			 94 19 June 2013 
			 95 22 June 2013 
			 96 22 June 2013 
			 97 25 June 2013 
			 98 26 June 2013 
			 99 26 June 2013 
			 100 27 June 2013 
			 101 30 June 2013 
			 102 6 July 2013 
			 103 9 July 2013 
			 104 9 July 2013 
			 105 10 July 2013 
			 106 10 July 2013 
			 107 14 July 2013 
			 108 16 July 2013 
			 109 18 July 2013 
			 110 18 July 2013 
			 111 22 July 2013 
			 112 27 July 2013 
			 113 28 July 2013 
			 114 28 July 2013 
			 115 29 July 2013 
			 116 1 August 2013 
			 117 3 August 2013 
			 118 6 August 2013 
			 119 6 August 2013 
			 120 7 August 2013 
			 121 13 August 2013 
			 122 18 August 2013 
			 123 18 August 2013 
			 124 18 August 2013 
			 125 19 August 2013 
			 126 21 August 2013 
			 127 21 August 2013 
			 128 23 August 2013 
			 129 24 August 2013 
			 130 28 August 2013 
			 131 28 August 2013 
			 132 31 August 2013 
			 133 2 September 2013 
			 134 3 September 2013 
			 135 3 September 2013 
			 136 4 September 2013 
			 137 5 September 2013 
			 138 5 September 2013 
			 139 6 September 2013 
			 140 9 September 2013 
			 141 10 September 2013 
			 142 21 September 2013 
			 143 22 September 2013 
			 144 24 September 2013 
			 145 24 September 2013 
		
	
	
		
			 146 24 September 2013 
			 147 24 September 2013 
			 148 24 September 2013 
			 149 25 September 2013 
			 150 26 September 2013 
			 151 27 September 2013

Personal Injury: Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on whiplash and the small claims court for personal injury which closed on 8 March 2013.

Shailesh Vara: The Government is committed to reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims to help bring down the cost of motor insurance premiums for consumers.
	On 16 May 2013, Official Report, columns 48-49WS, my predecessor announced in a written ministerial statement that the Government would defer its response to the 'Reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims' consultation until after the Transport Committee had published its own report and recommendations in this area. The Committee's report was published on 31 July. We are considering its recommendations alongside the responses received to the consultation. The Government will publish its response later this year.

Prisoners' Transfers

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) new arrivals and (b) departures there were at (i) HM Prison Doncaster, (ii) HM Prison Lindholme, (iii) HM Prison Hatfield and (iv) HM Prison Moorland in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  how many prisoners have moved from HMP Lindholme to (a) HMP Doncaster, (b) HMP Hatfield and (c) HMP Moorland in each month since May 2010;
	(3)  how many prisoners have moved from HMP Moorland to (a) HMP Lindholme, (b) HMP Doncaster and (c) HMP Hatfield in each month since May 2010;
	(4)  how many prisoners have moved from HMP Doncaster to (a) HMP Lindholme, (b) HMP Hatfield and (c) HMP Moorland in each month since May 2010;
	(5)  how many prisoners moved from HMP Hatfield to (a) HMP Lindholme, (b) HMP Doncaster and (c) HMP Moorland in each month since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: I have asked the prisons to provide the requested information and will write to the right hon. Member as soon as possible.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of foreign national offenders detained beyond the end of their sentence in prisons or immigration centres in each of the last three years in Scotland.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The requested figures are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Table 1: Foreign national offenders detained beyond the end of their sentence in Scottish prisons or immigration centres, 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2013 
			 Financial year Total 
			 2010-11 124 
			 2011-12 96 
			 2012-13 79 
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to main applicants only. 3. Figures relate to Dungavel Immigration Centre the following prisons: HMP Aberdeen, HMP Addiewell, HMP Barlinnie, HMP Dumfries, HMP Edinburgh, HMP Greenock, HMP Inverness, HMP Kilmarnock, HMP Low Moss, HMP Perth, HMP Peterhead, HMP Polmont, and HMP Shotts.

Richard III

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on legal advice and representation in relation to the judicial review case before Mr Justice Haddon-Cave concerning the remains of King Richard III (a) up to the point at which the judge issued his judgement in August 2013 and (b) since that date;
	(2)  what advice he has sought from (a) English Heritage, (b) the Advisory Panel on the Archaeology of Burials in England and (c) other bodies or experts on (i) whether he has power to amend the terms of the licence issued to the University of Leicester Archaeology Department to dig for the remains of King Richard III and (ii) other related matters; and if he will place in the Library copies of all the advice he has received on this matter.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice's spend on legal costs up to 15 August was £15,850. Figures for the spend since then are not yet collated.
	Under Section 25 of the Burial Act 1857 the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has a wide power to grant exhumation licences and attach and amend any conditions he thinks appropriate. He is not required to consult English Heritage or others on his powers under this legislation.

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 on legitimate businesses who purchase scrap cars with banknotes and coins; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	Motor salvage businesses have only been subject to the ban on the use of cash to purchase scrap vehicles since the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 commenced on 1 October 2013. No assessment has been made at this time.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Central Sussex College

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 128W, on Central Sussex College, what conclusions were drawn from the urgent review of the financial situation of Central Sussex College; and what further steps have since been taken.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 14 October 2013
	The Skills Funding Agency has concluded that there is good progress being made to bring the college back to sound financial health. The agency has worked proactively with the college on identifying and resolving the reasons for the poor financial situation which included; poor budget setting, inaccurate financial reporting, weak operation of some key financial controls, poor management of the cost base of the college, shortfalls in income generation, poor leadership and weak governance. These were set against a context of very high borrowings due to new capital build at Haywards Heath.
	Alongside new appointments of both the Chair of Governors and the Chair of Audit Committee, the college has undergone a major restructure which has delivered significant savings and has also appointed new internal and external auditors.
	The college was inspected in April and was graded as requiring some improvement overall but with some curriculum areas being graded as good or outstanding. Significant improvements have been made to the college's management information system resulting in accurate financial and data management reporting.
	A draft Recovery Plan was received in May and reviewed by the Skills Funding Agency and externally by EFA and HEFCE colleagues. The agency accepted the final Recovery Plan in August which should fully take the college to satisfactory financial health as soon as reasonably possible. In order to ensure progress, the agency holds monthly case conferences to review the Recovery Plan and has a presence on Audit Committees and at Governors meetings.

Conditions of Employment

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to launch a consultation on measures to regulate the use of zero-hour contracts.

Jo Swinson: A consultation which seeks views on zero hours contracts is planned to be launched later this year.

Dietary Supplements

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any products sold legally as non-harmonised food supplements in other EU member states have been prohibited from sale in the UK despite mutual recognition being cited.

Michael Fallon: We are not aware of any products sold legally as non-harmonised food supplements in other EU member states that have been prohibited from sale in the UK despite mutual recognition being cited.

Dietary Supplements

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what grounds there are for prohibiting products sold lawfully as non-harmonised food supplements in other member states from being sold in the UK under mutual recognition.

Michael Fallon: The Pharmaceutical Directive (2001/83/EC), which is non-harmonised, permits individual member states to classify products as medicines that may be sold as food supplements in other member states. The Pharmaceutical Directive takes precedence over food legislation. The determination procedure of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) includes a right of review.

Students

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time students at English higher education institutions were living (a) away from home and (b) at home in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes information on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Information on the term-time living arrangements of English domiciled students enrolled in full-time higher education at English HEIs is provided in the table.
	Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
	
		
			 English domiciled full-time enrolments(1) by term-time living arrangements English higher education institutions. Academic years 2002/03 to 2011/12 
			  Undergraduates All enrolments 
			  Students living with parents(2) Students living away from home(3) Other(4) Total Students living with parents(2) Students living away from home(3) Other(4) Total 
			 2002/03 153,780 539,460 75,385 768,625 165,550 603,165 85,480 854,195 
			 2003/04 160,085 545,650 82,405 788,140 173,040 612,305 91,660 877,005 
			 2004/05 168,885 567,820 66,750 803,455 181,645 634,455 75,650 891,750 
			 2005/06 178,565 594,215 57,790 830,570 192,170 664,500 65.570 922,240 
			 2006/07 178,965 605,160 51,760 835,885 192,580 676,220 58,285 927,085 
			 2007/08 195,600 595,405 63,235 854,240 210,695 659,775 73,005 943,475 
			 2008/09 202,105 609,485 68,090 879,680 218,380 677,825 76,435 972,640 
			 2009/10 223,970 632.520 62,200 918,690 244,620 706,940 70,960 1,022,520 
			 2010/11 227,025 649,065 59,535 935,625 248,395 723,340 68,020 1,039,755 
		
	
	
		
			 2011/12 237,265 671,945 56,270 965,480 259,385 748.010 63,500 1,070,895 
			 (1 )Enrolments refer to students in all years of study. (2) Students who report term-time accommodation as living with parent(s) or guardian(s). (3) Students living in own home, other rented accommodation, private-sector halls of residence or in an institution-maintained property. (4) Term-time accommodation is unknown, missing, unspecified or simply the student is not in attendance at the institution during the reported academic year. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency

Students

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of English domiciled and English students at higher education institutions were aged (a) under 22, (b) 22 to 25, (c) 26 to 30 and (d) 30 and over in each year since 2001.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes information on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Information on the number and proportion of undergraduate English domiciled students enrolled in full-time higher education at UK HEIs by age is provided in the table. These figures are different to the recent question on 14 October 2013, Official Report, columns 560-61W, as it includes enrolments in other UK institutions as well as English institutions.
	Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
	
		
			 English domiciled(1) full-time undergraduate enrolments(2 )by age. UK higher education institutions. Academic years 2001/02 to 2011/12 
			  Under 22 years 22 to 25 years 26 to 30 years 30 and over years Known ages  
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Total Ages missing or unspecified 
			 2001/02 582,390 74 96,580 12 35,735 5 70,245 9 784,945 225 
			 2002/03 596,520 73 106,425 13 36,250 4 74,740 9 813,930 245 
			 2003/04 605,050 73 112,220 13 37,180 4 79,115 9 833,570 360 
			 2004/05 615,645 72 114,490 13 38,215 4 81,230 10 849,580 190 
			 2005/06 639,125 73 115,370 13 40,200 5 82,765 9 877,455 245 
			 2006/07 649,035 73 114,005 13 40,730 5 79,555 9 882,325 70 
			 2007/08 662,685 74 117,860 13 41,595 5 77,575 9 899,715 50 
			 2008/09 684,530 74 120,700 13 43,185 5 76,855 8 925,265 40 
			 2009/10 718,560 74 124,570 13 45,000 5 78,505 8 966,630 35 
			 2010/11 734,030 74 129,380 13 45,190 5 76,865 8 985,465 15 
			 2011/12 768,870 76 129,285 13 44,340 4 75,195 7 1,017,685 10 
			 (1) Domicile refers to a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course. (2) Enrolments refer to students in all years of study. Notes: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Percentages are calculated from unrounded figures based on data where ages are known. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency

Students: Finance

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) UK and (b) English-domiciled students in receipt of (i) maintenance grants and (ii) maintenance loans were (A) living at home and (B) living away from home in each year since 2001.

David Willetts: Statistics on the number of English domiciled students who were awarded maintenance loans and grants by whether they were living with their parents or elsewhere are shown in the following tables. The figures are provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC). Data relating to non-English domiciled students are available from the respective administrations.
	The data include students at all types of higher education provider designated for student support, which includes further education colleges and alternative providers of higher education. Statistics prior to 2004-05 are not available.
	Statistics on student support awards and payments are published annually by the Student Loans Company. Final figures for the academic year 2012-13 will be available from November 2013.
	
		
			 Maintenance loan awards(1) to student support applicants by term time residency: English domiciled applicants academic years 2007-08 to 2011-12 
			 Number of applicants (thousand) 
			 Academic year Living with parents Living elsewhere Combined Unknown Total 
			 2004-05 129.3 528.1 2.8 36.4 696.6 
			 2005-06 134.8 584.9 4.0  723.8 
			 2006-07 131.6 595.3 3.8  730.8 
			 2007-08 129.6 616.5 4.0  750.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 130.6 640.6 4.4  775.5 
			 2009-10 143.5 679.6 4.3  827.5 
			 2010-11 143.1 714.3 5.0  862.3 
			 2011-12 150.2 756.5 5.7  912.4 
			 (1) Data refer to Awards recorded by October 2013 and are therefore higher than the awards statistics presented in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’, which makes mid-academic-year comparisons of student support awards. Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	
		
			 Maintenance grant award(s1) to student support applicants by term time residency: English domiciled applicants academic years 2007-08 to 2011-12 
			 Number of awarded applicants (thousand) 
			 Academic year Living with parents Living elsewhere Combined Unknown Total 
			 2004-05 28.7 63,1 0.5 7.6 99.8 
			 2005-06 55.2 136.2 1.2 — 192.7 
			 2006-07 86.5 229.3 1.8 — 317.6 
			 2007-08 101.2 289.5 2.2 — 392.8 
			 2008-09 120.0 370.4 2.8 — 493.2 
			 2009-10 128.7 413.2 2.7 — 544.6 
			 2010-11 125.3 425.7 2.9 — 553.9 
			 2011-12 129.3 444.4 3.5 — 577.2 
			 2012-13 130.2 444.8 3.7 — 578.6 
			 (1) Data refer to awards recorded by October 2013 and are therefore higher than the awards statistics presented in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’. Source: Student Loans Company

Students: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what RAB charge will be applied to (a) tuition fee loans and (b) maintenance loans for students commencing their studies in 2013-14.

David Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 565W.

UK Export Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to UK Export Finance's Annual Report and Accounts for 2012-13, how many of the 138 transactions listed in that report are covered by the Recommendation of the Council on Common Approaches for officially supported export credits and environmental and social due diligence (The Common Approaches) that governs the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development export credit agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: It is the Government's policy that UK Export Finance (formally the Export Credit Guarantees Department) applies international agreements that relate to the operations of Export Credit Agencies (ECAs). This includes the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Common Approaches for Officially Supported Export Credits and Environmental and Social Due Diligence (the “OECD Common Approaches”) in regard to the potential environmental, social and human rights (ESHR) impacts of projects it is asked to support that fall within the ambit of that agreement. The OECD Common Approaches requires that applications made to ECAs for support for such projects should be screened to determine whether they should then be categorised and reviewed for their ESHR impacts against the relevant international standards.
	In 2012-13, the number of export transactions that were screened by UK Export Finance which fell within the OECD Common Approaches, and where the application related to projects in fixed locations, was 13.

UK Export Finance

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was provided in (a) financial guarantees and (b) other support for UK exports through UK Export Finance in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Michael Fallon: UK Export Finance supports exports principally by providing (a) financial guarantees on loans made by banks to overseas buyers of UK exports, and (b) insurance to UK exporters against the risk of not being paid by an overseas buyer.
	The amount of business supported through (a) financial guarantees and (b) insurance is detailed in UKEF's Annual Report and Accounts, which are available in the House Library. The figures for the last four years are reproduced here:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Financial guarantees Insurance Total business supported 
			 2009-10 2,028 178 2,206 
			 2010-11 2,861 63 2,924 
			 2011-12 2,278 39 2,318 
			 2012-13 2,731 1,564 4,295

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change spent £8,292.80 offsetting its 2011-12 official and ministerial air travel through the Government Carbon Offsetting Facility.

Energy Companies Obligation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish an audited valuation of expenditure in connection with the Carbon Saving Obligation and the Affordable Warmth Obligation by energy companies which excludes any match funding from customers.

Gregory Barker: The obligated energy companies are required to report to Ofgem on what it is costing them to deliver under all elements of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). While this information is commercially confidential, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), wrote to all obligated companies last week requesting that they agree to greater transparency around the publication of ECO cost information, both at supplier level and in aggregate form.

Energy: Prices

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme on household energy prices.

Gregory Barker: DECC's latest assessment of the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills was published on 27 March 2013 and is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/172923/130326_-_Price_and_Bill_Impacts_Report_Final.pdf
	Tables E1-E3 in Annex E of the report estimate that in 2013 the costs of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) add around £2 per MWh (real 2012 prices) to electricity prices for households and also those non-domestic energy users who purchase electricity from an electricity supplier. This impact is based on an EU ETS price of around £6 per tonne of CO2 (real 2012 prices), although it should be noted that current prices are trading below this level.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Cement

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the UK cement industry of the cross sectoral correction factor for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System.

Gregory Barker: The Government has not made such an estimate. However UK industrial sectors—including the cement sector—will receive over 510 million free allowances over the course of Phase III (2013-20) of the EU Emissions Trading System, worth over £2.5 billion at the current allowance price of around €5/tCO2. This level of allocation is after the application of the Cross Sectoral Correction Factor, which will be applied uniformly to all non-electricity generating installations across the EU.
	The Government recognises the risk of carbon leakage within the EU ETS, and supports the proportionate free allocation of allowances as a tool to mitigate this, without raising barriers to international trade. However, we have expressed concern to the European Commission that those most at risk may not be compensated sufficiently in the future if current rules are not reformed to ensure that free allowances are better targeted to those sectors genuinely at significant risk. We continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the EU ETS on the competitiveness of UK industry, and have commissioned research to investigate this issue further. The cement industry is folly involved in the conduct of that research via the Mineral Products Association.

Green Deal Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal assessments have (a) taken place, (b) been followed through to completion in each parliamentary constituency since January 2013.

Gregory Barker: The number of Green Deal Assessments lodged by parliamentary constituency, from January to June 2013, has been published in Table 1b of "Domestic Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation in Great Britain, Statistical report: January-June 2013":
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-september-2013
	The number of Green Deal Assessments lodged by parliamentary constituency, from January to September 2013, will be published in the next release of this statistical series, on 19 December. The Department will provide other detailed breakdowns of Green Deal activity as more data becomes available.

Insulation: Cannock Chase

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in Cannock Chase constituency were fitted with insulation under programmes of his Department in (a) 2012, (b) 2011 and (c) 2010.

Gregory Barker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 25 June 2013, Official Report, column 221-222W.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Gregory Barker: The proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by the Department who received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13 is detailed in Table 1 for staff employed in civil service grades AO to Grade 6 and Table 2 for staff employed in the senior civil service (SCS).
	
		
			 Table 1: Performance ratings for Staff in Grades AO to Grade 6. 
			  Staff have declared a disability (%) 
			 Performance rating Yes No 
			 1—Exceptional 17 26 
			 2—Effective 68 69 
			 3—Need for improvement/developing 15 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Performance rating for staff in SCS grades 
			  Staff have declared a disability (%) 
			 Performance rating Yes No 
			 Top n/a 27 
			 Achieving n/a 66 
			 Low n/a 7 
		
	
	Due to the small number of SCS who declared a disability, performance ratings for these staff cannot be disclosed to ensure individuals are not identifiable.
	At the time of these results 32% of staff had not declared their disability status, the performance ratings for both groups of staff whose disability status is unknown has not been included in these results.
	Full findings of the diversity analysis for the 2012-13 performance year will be published in January 2014 as part of DECC's wider diversity information publication.

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff were made redundant from non-departmental public bodies accountable to his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many redundancy payments were made in lieu of notice.

Gregory Barker: The Department has responsibility for four non-departmental bodies:
	Committee on Climate Change
	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
	Civil Nuclear Police Authority
	Coal Authority.
	The number of redundancies in the Committee on Climate Change and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Type 2010-11 2011-12 1012-13 
			 Redundancies 0 0 0 
			 PILON 0 0 0 
		
	
	The number of redundancies in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Type 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Redundancies 72 1 0 
			 PILON 8 1 0 
		
	
	The number of redundancies in the Civil Nuclear Police Authority and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Type 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Redundancies 0 2 0 
			 PILON 0 0 0 
		
	
	The number of redundancies in the Coal Authority and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Type 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Redundancies 0 31 2 
			 PILON 0 31 2

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will re-examine his Department's estimate that 379,600 renewables would be installed by 2012 under the renewable heat incentive scheme.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not estimated that there would be 379,600 renewable heat installations by 2012. 379,600 installations is the estimate made for the total number of domestic renewable heat installations supported by the domestic RHI scheme by 2020 in our September 2012 Domestic Consultation document.
	Our final domestic impact assessment published in July 2013 revised this estimate to a total of 745,000 domestic renewable heat installations being supported by the scheme by 2020-21.
	As of 31 August 2013, 1,497 installations have received payments as part of the non-domestic RHI scheme. We intend to launch the domestic scheme in spring 2014.
	New estimates of future installation numbers for the non-domestic scheme will be published in autumn 2013 as part of the Government's response to recent consultations on changes to the scheme.

Wind Power

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what subsidy has been provided to compensate for inactive wind turbines over the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The Government has made no payments to wind farms to compensate for inactivity.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what onshore wind energy generation capacity (a) had been installed, (b) had gained planning consent and (c) was seeking planning permission on 1 October 2013.

Michael Fallon: This information is publicly available within the monthly extract of the Department's Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), which tracks all renewable projects through the planning system:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
	As of 18 September 2013, the date of the latest REPD update, the figures for onshore wind in the UK were:
	
		
			  GW 
			 Operational 6.8 
			 Planning consent received 6.4 
			 Submitted for planning consent 6.4 
		
	
	Not all projects receiving and/or applying for planning consent will be constructed.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the illegal gassing of badgers.

George Eustice: There have been no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), on this specific issue. Unlicensed culling of badgers or interference with their setts is illegal under the Badger Protection Act 1992, as it may increase the risk of perturbation, and may, therefore, increase the likelihood of geographical spread of bTB to cattle and other badgers. Unlicensed taking of, possession or selling of badgers is also illegal. Evidence of any such wrongdoing should be brought to the attention of the police.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy that gassing not be used as a method of culling badgers.

George Eustice: As set out in the recent consultation exercise on a draft strategy for achieving officially bovine TB free status for England, further research into alternative population control methods (e.g. sett-based culling methods and non-lethal methods) is under consideration. This includes a potential investigation into the use of anoxic gas or gas-filled foam as a sett-based means of humane culling.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his oral answer of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 284, on Bovine Tuberculosis, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety, (b) humaneness and (c) effectiveness of gassing as a method of culling badgers.

George Eustice: Further research into alternative population control methods (eg sett-based culling methods and non-lethal methods) is under consideration. This includes a potential investigation into the use of anoxic gas or gas-filled foam as a sett-based means of humane culling. The research is not yet at a stage at which the essential matters of safety, humaneness and effectiveness can be assessed.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available.

George Eustice: It is core DEFRA's policy to invest in energy efficiency and carbon reduction initiatives rather than on carbon offsetting. Core DEFRA has not spent any money on energy-related carbon offsetting in the last financial year (2012-13).

Dairy Farming

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farms in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK have ceased to operate in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: DEFRA does not collect figures on the number of farm businesses leaving the dairy sector each year. Figures from the June Survey of Agriculture only indicate activity on registered holdings in England at June each year and therefore show net change only.
	The number of commercial holdings(1) where dairy is the predominant activity are shown in the following table for 2009-12 in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire and England. We are unable to provide comparable figures for 2008 due to a database maintenance and updating exercise.
	(1) Commercial holdings are those with significant levels of farming activity. These significant levels are classified as any holding with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Ribble Valley 108 100 97 91 
			 Lancashire 513 487 468 449 
			 England 8,190 7,882 7,609 7,276 
			 Source: June Survey of Agriculture 
		
	
	Data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.

Horses

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of recent trends in fly-grazing of horses in (a) East Hampshire constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England.

George Eustice: The Government has not conducted research to establish precise trends in the illegal activity of fly-grazing. However, I share the concerns of landowners and horse welfare organisations about people who graze their horses on other people's land without their permission. I understand the frustrations of landowners who consider that the law does not allow action to be taken quickly enough and I support the call for enforcement bodies to share best practice on how to deal with perpetrators. The new measures designed to tackle antisocial behaviour, in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill which is currently before Parliament, will also be available to use against people who fly-graze their horses.

Marine Conservation Zones

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to report the results of his consultation on the creation of new marine conservation zones.

George Eustice: Over 40,000 responses were received to the Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) public consultation. A summary of responses that focused on generic issues raised during the consultation was published in July. We aim to announce the designation of the first set of new MCZs shortly, along with a summary of site-specific issues raised in the consultation.

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

George Eustice: Core DEFRA's Performance Management system uses three categories to assess and rate the level of performance of its staff. These are 1 ‘Excellent’, 2 ‘Good’ and 3 ‘Must Improve’.
	The following table shows the 2012-13 end of year performance ratings received in each category by (a) disabled and (b) all other staff below SCS:
	
		
			  Percentage achieved by rating  
			 Disabled ‘1’ ‘2’ ‘3’ Total no. of staff below SCS 
			 No 27 67 6 1,056 
			 Unknown 27 67 6 723 
			 Yes 19 65 16 139 
			      
			 Total number of staff below SCS 506 1,288 124 1,918 
		
	
	The ‘Unknown’ staff group relates to individuals who have not recorded their disability status on the Department's online self-reporting system.

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has examined the possibility of installing CCTV cameras in an attempt to prevent animal torture in abattoirs.

George Eustice: Compulsory CCTV at slaughterhouses was considered earlier this year as part of the implementation of EU Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing in England. The Government is currently unconvinced of the need for further legislation, but will be keeping the need for CCTV under review in the context of the new monitoring requirements required under Regulation 1099/2009.

Trout

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to protect ferox brown trout in the UK.

George Eustice: All the devolved Administrations manage predatory or ferox brown trout as part of the wider brown trout population, rather than as a separate species.
	Fishing for trout, including ferox brown trout, is highly regulated. Measures include annual close seasons when fishing is not allowed, requirements to obtain a licence to fish, and byelaws regulating fishing methods and the minimum size of fish that can be taken.
	Regulation of the movement or introduction of fish into and between waters is also undertaken. This protects against interbreeding between native and introduced trout, which can lower the survival chances of native wild trout, and helps maintain and protect local populations of different types or subspecies of brown trout.
	Brown trout and their prey species also benefit from the work undertaken to protect and improve the water environment to meet the requirements of the Water Framework Directive.

EDUCATION

Adoption: Northumberland

Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in care for whom Northumberland Social Services has responsibility have been put up for adoption in the last two years.

Edward Timpson: In 2012-13, there were 35 children with adoption decisions in Northumberland local authority, this compares to 30 in 2011-12. An adoption decision is the point at which the local authority (LA) agency decision maker makes a formal decision that adoption is in the best interests of a child. The LA may then place the child with adoptive parents once either the consent of the birth parents is obtained or, where this is not given, the court makes a placement order to do so. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	The 2012-13 Children Looked After Statistical First Release includes information on adoption and further local authority breakdowns(1).
	(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption

Engineering Employers Federation

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many meetings there have been between Ministers or officials of his Department and EEF since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: This information is not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Grace Academy Coventry

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the relationship and sex education policy of Grace Academy in Coventry; and what steps his Department plans to take in response.

Edward Timpson: The Department has received a number of representations about the Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) policy of the Grace Academy in Coventry. As a result, we have contacted the school which has removed its existing policy from its website and agreed to review it.

Languages: GCE A-level

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK have studied A-level Mandarin in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: It is not possible to identify pupils entered for Mandarin from the Department's data.
	The Department for Education produces statistics on England only. The responsibility for education statistics in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales lies with each devolved Administration.

Pre-school Education: Staffordshire

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who will be eligible for free nursery care in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Cannock Chase constituency in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who are currently receiving free nursery care in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Cannock Chase constituency.

Elizabeth Truss: We estimate that around 1,466 two-year-olds in Staffordshire are currently eligible for a funded early education place, and that in 2014 and 2015 around 3,700 two-year-olds will be eligible. We do not have information on the number of two-year-olds currently receiving a funded place. All three and four-year-olds are entitled to a funded place. Statistics collected in January 2013 showed that there were, at that time, 18,290 three and four-year-olds in Staffordshire benefitting from funded early education.
	No data are available on the number of children likely to be eligible for a funded place in each individual constituency.

School Meals

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to maximise the use of locally (a) grown and (b) supplied foods in schools; and whether the introduction of universal free school meals in infant schools will include requirements or incentives to utilise such products.

Elizabeth Truss: In July 2013 the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), published the School Food Plan, the outcome of a 12-month independent review of school food. The plan's 'Headteacher checklist' recommends that schools use local and seasonal suppliers. We are testing, and will consult on, a set of revised food-based standards. The draft published in the plan says that wherever possible foods should be prepared from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.
	We are currently considering our policies in light of the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement on free school meals for all infant pupils.

Teachers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of teachers are currently neither qualified nor in training.

David Laws: The full-time equivalent proportion of teachers in service in publicly funded schools in England that did not have qualified teacher status (QTS) and were not on an employment-based route to QTS was 2.9%(1) in November 2012. The source of the information is the School Workforce Census, November 2012 and is the most recent available.
	(1) This percentage represents the proportion of the teaching workforce size.
	This is down from 3.3% in 2010 and 4.3% in 2005(2).
	(2)Source:
	618g Survey, January 2010 and 618g Survey, January 2005

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to respond to the NHS Confederation report, Urgent and Emergency Care: An accident waiting to happen?; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: We welcome the recent NHS Confederation report on Urgent and Emergency Care which provides a valuable contribution to the debate around urgent and emergency care, and in particular to Sir Bruce Keogh's review into Urgent and Emergency Services. There are no plans for a formal response; however, much of the work we are currently undertaking to provide short and long-term solutions to the pressures faced by accident and emergency (A&E) are in line with recommendations set out in the NHS Confederation report.
	In the short term, as announced on 10 September, we have allocated £250 million of funding to NHS England to help cope with winter pressures (with another £250 million for 2014-15). This money will be distributed by NHS England to the areas that need it most in 2013-14 and to be targeted as follows:
	£221 million for the 53 NHS areas identified as high risk;
	£15 million to help pay for extra capacity for NHS 111, with the aim of lessening pressure on A&E; and
	£14 million as a contingency.
	Longer term, under our vulnerable older people's plan, we are looking to improve care for the more frail and elderly through better primary care and integration of health and social care. The £3.8 billion Integration Transformation fund will focus on joining up health and care services, helping some of the most vulnerable patients to stay healthier and treating them closer to home.
	In addition, the Department's arm's length bodies are engaged in addressing the issues highlighted by the report. For example, Monitor is currently consulting on changes to the marginal tariff and Health Education England is addressing work force shortages in emergency medicine.

Allergies

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which recommendations of the Royal College of Physicians' report entitled, Allergy: the unmet need, published in 2003, have been implemented.

Norman Lamb: Following the publication of the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) report into allergy services in 2003, the Department worked with national health service stakeholders to review the available data and research on allergy conditions and services. The Department published the results of that work in July 2006 in: A Review of services for allergy: The epidemiology, demand for and provision of treatment and effectiveness of clinical interventions, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	This report accepted in principle many of the recommendations of the original RCP report, in particular the principle that any solutions to problems around allergy provision must be local, and based on need.
	Since April 2013, it has been the responsibility of local commissioners to determine the need for allergy services in their area.
	In the Mandate, NHS England is being asked to make measurable progress towards making the NHS among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive. This objective includes people with allergies. It is the role of NHS England to give serious consideration as to how they will support the commissioning system to deliver these outcomes.

Ambulance Services: Greater Manchester

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Greater Manchester with non-urgent hospital appointments have waited for over two hours for an ambulance since April 2013.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available centrally.
	Information on performance can be obtained from the local commissioners, Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
	Blackpool CCG leads on the commissioning of ambulance services on behalf of the 33 CCGs across the north-west.

Ambulance Services: Greater Manchester

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients in Greater Manchester with non-urgent hospital appointments have been taken to hospital in a taxi because no ambulances were available since April 2013;
	(2)  how much has been spent by Greater Manchester Ambulance service on taxis for patients since April 2013.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available centrally. Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) may hold the relevant information.
	Blackpool CCG leads on the commissioning of ambulance services on behalf of the 33 CCGs across the north-west.

Ambulance Services: Greater Manchester

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints about Arriva Transport Solutions have been received by Greater Manchester Ambulance service in each month since April 2013.

Jane Ellison: This information is not available centrally. Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) may hold the relevant information.
	NHS England advise that Blackpool CCG works closely with Arriva to performance manage the contract and address any concerns.

Ambulance Services: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances have been in operation in the Liverpool city-region in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not available centrally. The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) provides ambulance services in the Liverpool area, and the information may be obtained from NWAS directly.

Cancer

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the sub-group of the specialised cancer CRG which is scoping out current indications for molecular testing in patients will be (a) appointed and (b) operational.

Jane Ellison: NHS England's Molecular Diagnostic Testing Group has been appointed and is operational. The group is currently scoping their work and identifying priorities.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise awareness of temporal arteritis.

Norman Lamb: The Government recognises that the early recognition and diagnosis of temporal arteritis, also known as giant cell arteritis (GCA), is paramount.
	The importance of prompt diagnosis of GCA is underlined in both the undergraduate medical curriculum and in post-graduate training for general practitioners (GPs) and relevant hospital specialists.
	To support additional awareness of the condition, there are a number of clinical guidelines that are available on GCA, including the Royal College of Physicians guideline on GCA. This provides a framework for disease assessment, immediate treatment and referral to specialist care.
	Furthermore, both the British Society for Rheumatology and the British Health Professionals in Rheumatology published guidelines on the management of polymyalgia rheumatica, a related condition, for GPs and rheumatologists. The guidelines encourage the prompt diagnosis and urgent management of GCA, therefore minimising vision loss.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Clinical Knowledge Summaries service also provides primary care practitioners with a readily accessible summary of best practice in respect of GCA.
	Both the NHS Choices and Patient UK websites provide information including the signs and symptoms of the condition for patients.

Care Quality Commission

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid by the Government in severance packages to former Care Quality Commission executives since May 2010; when such payments were made; and who authorised each such payment.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England.
	The CQC has provided the following information:
	Since May 2010, the CQC has paid a combined total of £782,571 to four executive directors who have left the organisation. For the purpose of this response, the CQC has calculated ‘severance’ to include all redundancy and payment in lieu of notice payments. No ex gratia payments have been made to departing executive directors during this period. Pension costs, or payment in lieu of contractually accrued annual leave, have not been included in this calculation.
	The payments were made within a month of the date of departure of each of the executive directors. Those were Gary Needle in June 2010, Louise Guss and Amanda Sherlock in June 2013, and Philip King in September 2013.
	All of the payments were authorised by the Department of Health.

Charcot Marie Tooth Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people were diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in the UK in each of the last three years;
	(2)  whether specific funding is ringfenced for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Norman Lamb: NHS Choices estimates that there are 23,000 sufferers in the United Kingdom. We are unable to identify the number of people with a diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease in the UK in each of the last three years. The reason for this is that the data collected is grouped under 'Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy', which includes but is not limited to CMT disease. Arrangements for the development and operation of the neurology dataset will be matters for NHS England to determine. It has committed to working with the service to increase the amount of data flowing within the NHS to support clinical commissioners in driving continuous improvements in quality in both secondary and primary care.
	There is currently no specific funding ring-fenced for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Continuing Care

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the costs to the NHS of people on long-term warfarin having to attend regular GP or hospital appointments for simple blood tests;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential annual cost savings to the NHS of people with diabetes being able to self-monitor their blood glucose levels;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all clinical commissioning groups have policies in place allowing people on long-term warfarin to (a) self-test their INR levels and (b) self-managed their warfarin therapy if they choose to do so.

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps will be taken to encourage greater use of and support for self-monitoring in clinical commissioning groups across England.

Jane Ellison: No assessment has been made by the Department or NHS England of the costs to the national health service of people on long-term warfarin having to attend regular general practitioner or hospital appointments for simple blood tests or of the potential annual cost savings to the NHS of people with diabetes being able to self-monitor their blood glucose levels
	Responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England.
	It is for individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission treatment and services for patients on long-term warfarin or other medications which require monitoring, as they are best placed to identify what is needed in their local areas. It is the responsibility of NHS England to support CCGs and ensure that they are safely and effectively discharging their commissioning responsibilities, and are making progress in delivering outcomes. This support may include providing supportive commissioning resources, tools or guidance.

Gabapentin

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the availability of the drug gabapentin at UK pharmacies.

Norman Lamb: There are currently some shortages of some strengths of gabapentin in the United Kingdom. However, we understand that stocks are generally available and that manufacturers have further deliveries due this week.

General Practitioners

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the costs to GP practices of informing patients of the disclosure of data and their rights to withhold information under the care.data arrangements.

Daniel Poulter: General practitioners (GPs), as data controllers, have legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998 for ensuring that patients are aware of how their information is used and shared. This is not a new requirement or cost for GP practices. Making sure patients understand about how their information is used and the benefits is an issue of good practice.
	NHS England has been working closely with the Information Commissioners Office and will shortly be making an announcement about further national awareness raising plans to help raise patient awareness and to support GP practices.

Health Services

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether NHS England has the authority to transfer a patient's care from one NHS provider to another if the patient is satisfied with his or her current provider;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the decision of NHS England to transfer brain tumour patients undergoing treatment at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery to another provider with his Department's policy on patient choice.

Jane Ellison: Brain tumour patients requiring stereotactic radiosurgery or stereotactic radiotherapy services may access treatment from any provider with whom NHS England holds a contract for Stereotactic Radiosurgery (including Gamma Knife) services. In London this includes the BUPA Cromwell Hospital and Barts Health NHS Trust. Referring consultants have been advised that they can refer patients to either of these providers or an alternative choice of contracted and accredited provider for stereotactic radiosurgery as appropriate.
	NHS England has developed a range of clinical commissioning policies outlining its routine commissioning position for a range of stereotactic radiosurgery treatments. These are available on NHS England's website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/resources/spec-comm-resources/npc-crg/group-d/d05/
	Patients have a legal right to choice over hospital and consultant team (as long as they provide the service the patient is being referred for) when referred for their first out-patient appointment. After that they should be involved in decisions over their clinical care but do not have the same legal right of choice that exists in the first referral unless they are not treated within 18 weeks (or seen within two weeks for suspected cancer referrals).

Hospitals: Food

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to maximise the use of locally (a) grown and (b) supplied food in NHS hospitals.

Daniel Poulter: National health service trusts have responsibility for setting their own policy of food procurement and sourcing. Under the current regulations governing public procurement, it is not permitted to discriminate against suppliers on the grounds of geographic location.
	However, NHS organisations are central to their communities and have a role to play in stimulating local economic growth and jobs. It is important that opportunities exist for local enterprises to compete for business, and that the NHS considers the social, economic and environmental benefits when contracting for public services.
	The Department actively promotes the use of Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (Food GBS) which includes advice on sustainable food procurement. Currently, 50% of all hospitals report that they are fully compliant with Food GBS, with a further 25% actively working towards compliance.
	In 2012, of fresh produce supplied to the NHS through NHS Supply Chain contracts, 64.5% was produced in the United Kingdom, and this proportion is forecast to increase for 2013.
	In addition to this, 'Sustainable Food: A Guide for Hospitals' provides guidance for trusts on procurement.

Medical Records: Databases

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to publicise the implications for patients of the introduction of the care.data system.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre are supporting general practitioners with awareness raising on care.data through a range of regional and national activities.
	These include:
	Resources and guidance including patient information materials;
	Digital media, for example, dedicated patient support pages on the NHS Choices website, including a lead article on the front page signposting citizens to information. The site receives over 20 million hits a month; and
	Provision of information to 350,000 charities and voluntary groups who have been asked to cascade the information to their members.

Medical Records: Databases

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation he has undertaken with the public and GPs over the introduction of the care.data system.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre have worked closely with the British Medical Association and with the Royal College of General Practitioners during the process of developing proposals for care.data. NHS England have published joint guidance and materials for GP practices as a result.
	Information about the programme has been sent to over 350,000 patient groups, charities, and voluntary organisations. In addition, NHS England has held a series of meetings with patient groups and other interested parties. Meetings have been held for example with the Association of Medical Research Charities, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. This is an on-going exercise and further meetings will be held with patient groups and charities to seek their views on the design and implementation of care.data.

Mental Illness: Housing Benefit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will commit to greater investment in housing-related support for people with mental health problems.

Norman Lamb: The Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund announced by the Department in July 2012 is intended to support and accelerate the development of the specialised housing market including investing in specialised housing for people with mental health conditions. In Phase 1 of the scheme, £131 million has been allocated to build 3,500 specialised homes nationally and includes a number of examples for people with mental health conditions, including a scheme, in Hackney for people with mental health conditions who need on-going support after a period in hospital or residential care. The scheme provides tenants with personalised care and support, provided by a range of services, and has a strong focus on promoting independence.
	We are currently working to develop how future allocations of the fund will work, including how we will ensure a greater inclusion of specialised and suitable housing for people with mental health conditions.

NHS: Cost Effectiveness

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department takes to ensure that no NHS trust cost improvement plan is implemented without a full quality impact assessment having been conducted.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Trust Development Authority seeks assurance that cost improvement plans for national health service trusts have been quality impact assessed and that finance, activity, work force and quality information have been considered together to help ensure any decisions taken on efficiency savings do not adversely affect the quality of care provided for patients, or the ability for staff to do their job effectively.

NHS: Cost Effectiveness

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with NHS England and other groups on quality impact assessments of trust cost improvement plans.

Jane Ellison: This is not a matter for NHS England but for the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA). The NHS TDA works with trusts to ensure that cost improvement plans have been quality impact assessed and that finance, activity, work force and quality information have been considered together to ensure any decisions taken on efficiency savings do not adversely affect the quality of care provided for patients, or the ability for staff to do their job effectively.

NHS: Cost Effectiveness

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical commissioning groups have completed a quality impact assessment of their NHS trust cost improvement plans in each region.

Jane Ellison: These data are not collected centrally. NHS England would expect area teams to have been overseeing this and provider contract improvement plans will have been reviewed as an integral part of contract negotiation by each clinical commissioning group (CCG). Area teams work with CCGs to ensure that they are meeting the planning guidance as part of their oversight role.

Obesity

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admission episodes involving patients with an obesity-related illness there were in each of the last three financial years; and what the (a) gender and (b) age group of each such patient was.

Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has provided a count of finished admission episodes(1) with a primary diagnosis of obesity(2) by gender and by age for 2009-10 to 2011-12. This information is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			 Gender 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Male 2,533 2,977 3,053 
			 Female 8,181 8,762 8,849 
			 Unknown 2 1 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Age group 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 0-9 223 158 133 
			 10-19 564 518 519 
			 20-29 768 836 856 
			 30-39 2,225 2,264 2,199 
			 40-49 3,503 3,888 3,726 
			 50-59 2,381 2,773 3,059 
			 60-69 849 1,047 1,194 
			 70-79 165 213 155 
			 80+ 35 33 45 
			 Unknown 3 10 19 
			 (1) A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients,' as a person may have more than one admission within the period. (2) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. Notes: 1. Assessing growth through time (in-patients). HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 2. Data quality. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. HSCIC liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.

Obesity: Surgery

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each (a) socio-economic, (b) ethnic and (c) age-group underwent weight-loss operations in each of the last three financial years.

Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has provided a count of finished admission episodes(1) with a primary diagnosis of obesity(2) and a main or secondary operative procedure(3) of bariatric surgery by index of multiple deprivation (IMD) decile(4), patient ethnic group and patient age group for 2009-10 to 2011-12. This information is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			 IMD decile group (patients living in the least deprived 10% of the country through to those living in the most deprived 10%) 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Least deprived 10% 335 404 417 
			 Less deprived 10-20% 480 490 536 
			 Less deprived 20-30% 483 591 555 
			 Less deprived 30-40% 538 648 664 
			 Less deprived 40-50% 684 716 768 
			 More deprived 40-50% 652 812 903 
		
	
	
		
			 More deprived 30-40% 787 940 972 
			 More deprived 20-30% 1,036 1,148 1,266 
			 More deprived 10-20% 1,116 1,219 1,457 
			 Most deprived 10% 1,063 1,087 1,224 
			 Unknown 112 135 145 
		
	
	
		
			 Ethnic group 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 British (White) 5,236 5,943 6,466 
			 Irish (White) 42 42 48 
			 Any other White background 261 273 280 
			 White and Black Caribbean (Mixed) 19 32 35 
			 White and Black African (Mixed) 9 10 11 
			 White and Asian (Mixed) 10 9 15 
			 Any other Mixed background 23 33 ¦ 34 
			 Indian (Asian or Asian British) 71 67 81 
			 Pakistani (Asian or Asian British) 34 43 50 
			 Bangladeshi (Asian or Asian British) 12 12 9 
			 Any other Asian background 34 40 44 
			 Caribbean (Black or Black British) 137 153 201 
			 African (Black or Black British) 91 98 118 
			 Any other Black background 129 131 143 
			 Chinese (other ethnic group) 2 — — 
			 Any other ethnic group 67 98 116 
			 Not known 118 247 286 
			 Not stated 991 959 970 
		
	
	
		
			 Age group 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 10-19 34 37 44 
			 20-29 588 621 677 
			 30-39 1,753 1,792 1,846 
			 40-49 2,707 3,054 3,060 
			 50-59 1,706 2,058 2,390 
			 60-69 473 604 829 
			 70-79 23 18 40 
			 80+ — — 2 
			 Unknown 2 6 19 
			 (1) A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. (2) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002- 03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. (3 )The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. (4) The socio-economic group used is derived from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). IMD is a measure of multiple deprivation which ranks the relative deprivation of each area of England in a number domains (such as crime and income) and then combines the individual scores to produce a . composite score for each area. The patient's residential postcode is then mapped to one of these areas, and summarised into 10 groups for presentation. Further information is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-indices-of-deprivation-2010 Note: Assessing growth through time (in-patients): HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 2. Data quality. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. HSCIC liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.

Obesity: Surgery

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people under the age of 18 had each type of surgical treatment for obesity in each of the last five financial years;
	(2)  what the youngest age of a patient who underwent surgical treatment for obesity was in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has provided a count of finished admission episodes(1) with a primary diagnosis of obesity(2) and a main or secondary operative procedure(3) of bariatric surgery by procedure group for patients aged under 18 at time of admission and the age of the youngest person to be admitted for 2007-08 to 2011-12.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Type of procedure      
			 Gastric bypass 2 6 5 4 5 
			 Gastric band 4 3 4 2 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Gastric bubble/balloon — — — 1 1 
			 Stomach staples — 1 1 — 1 
			       
			 Youngest recorded age 16 15 15 16 14 
			 (1) A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider: FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. (2) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. (3) The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. Notes: 1. Assessing growth through time (in-patients), HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 2. Data quality. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. HSCIC liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.

Prosthetics

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) military and ex-military primary amputees, (b) civilian primary amputees, (c) military and ex-military established amputees and (d) civilian established amputees there are in England.

Daniel Poulter: The Ministry of Defence (MOD), Department of Health and NHS England do not hold information on the number of veterans that have had an amputation since leaving the armed forces and do not hold information on primary and established amputees who have left the service. MOD advise that for the period October 2001 to June 2013 there have been 365 service personnel who have suffered a traumatic or surgical amputation. Of these 217 are still in service of which 185 are primary amputees and 32 established. 148 of the 365 are now veterans, the breakdown between primary, and established amputees is not known.
	Data on the number of civilian amputees are not held centrally.

Suicide: Armed Forces

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the number of suicides amongst service personnel and veterans.

Daniel Poulter: Ministers from the Department of Health and Ministry of Defence meet on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues relating to the health and wellbeing of service personnel and veterans (including mental health issues). The issue of suicides has been discussed.
	Every suicide is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of all those who have sadly taken their own lives. Suicide among members of the armed forces remains extremely rare and is lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.
	Medical experts and clinicians working in our armed forces and across the national health service are committed to providing the best possible care for all those who have served their country and to ensuring a smooth transition from the armed forces into civilian life for those who leave. This includes improving the transfer of medical records on discharge to provide better continuity of care for veterans, and providing mental health assessments prior to their discharge. Letters are also included in NHS medical notes stating when personnel have been under military medical care, and these remain visible in NHS systems when the NHS takes over responsibility for their care as veterans.
	The implementation of the recommendations contained within the Murrison report ‘Fighting Fit’ has assisted in the significant and long-term effort to raise awareness of a broad range of mental health issues and providing mechanisms through which, both serving personnel and veterans can seek assistance.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to prevent financial viability assessments being used to circumvent local authority affordable housing targets;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the use of financial viability assessments by construction companies to circumvent local authority affordable housing targets.

Nicholas Boles: Across the country there are stalled development sites that are unable to bring forward much needed local growth and housing, including housing at an affordable level. To facilitate the release of such sites, the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 brought in measures to enable developers to apply to local authorities to review the affordable housing requirements of any Section 106 agreement where this is a critical factor in site viability. The review must be based on robust evidence of economic viability and can only address the affordable housing requirements of the planning consent. Where a Section 106 agreement pre-dates April 2010 or is over five years old, an application may also be made to modify the agreement. Appeal processes are in place where applications to amend Section 106 agreements are refused, or not determined in due time. Appeals are a measure of last resort if local authorities and developers have been unable to voluntarily renegotiate agreements.
	As part of the National Planning Practice Guidance, the Government has provided clear guidance to developers and local authorities on this issue, which can be found at:
	http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/
	Section 106 agreements should be directly related to the development and fairly and reasonably related in scale and in kind. Unrealistic and financially unviable Section 106 agreements result in no development, no regeneration and no community benefits: a sensible review can result in more housing and more affordable housing.

Affordable Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that local authority affordable housing targets are met.

Kris Hopkins: There are no top-down housing targets any more. Councils have an obligation to assess and meet housing need including affordable housing. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that Councils should assess the scale and mix of housing and the range of tenures that the local population is likely to require, including the need for affordable housing. Councils should then use this evidence base to ensure that their Local Plan meets the full, objectively assessed needs for market and affordable housing, as far as is consistent with the policies set out in the Framework.
	Local authorities, when negotiating affordable housing contributions to Section 106 agreements, should take into account the overall viability of the scheme to ensure that the proposed development can be delivered on the ground. This contributes to local economic growth and housing delivery, including at an affordable level. Unrealistic Section 106 agreements result in no development, no regeneration and no community benefits; a sensible review can result in more housing and more affordable housing.
	Over 150,000 affordable homes have been delivered in England over the last three years. Over 84,000 homes have already been delivered under the current Affordable Homes programme which invests £19.5 billion of public, and private funding on affordable housing over this spending review period. A further £23 billion will deliver 165,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2018. This is the fastest annual rate of building for at least 20 years.

Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with officials and Ministers in the Welsh Government in the last 12 months on the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers have had no direct discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government on this matter in the last 12 months. However, officials from my Department and those from the Assembly are in regular contact on a range of technical and procedural matters including those associated with the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011.
	I would add that a copy of a letter from the Secretary of State to Ann Jones AM on regulation on the housing market in Wales is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203574/Ann_Jones_MP.pdf

Fire Services: Retirement

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed changes to the retirement age of firefighters on their ability to fulfil an operational, on the pump, role up to retirement age; what roles will be undertaken by firefighters aged 55 to 60 who are no longer able to crew frontline appliances under those proposals; and what redeployment opportunities exist across the Fire Service for such firefighters.

Brandon Lewis: An independent review into the Normal Pension Age for firefighters, conducted by Dr Tony Williams, found:
	“Based on current practices of setting a standard of 42 mL.kg.min(-1) VO2max but allowing firefighters to remain operational at a 35 mL.kg.min(-1) VO2max would ensure that 100% of firefighters who remain physically active will still be operational at age 60 assuming they remain free from injury and disease.”
	Paragraph 11.2.3, Normal Pension Age for Firefighters: A Review for the Firefighters' Pension Committee.
	A Normal Pension Age of 60 has existed since 2006 for new recruits to the fire and rescue service. Currently one in three firefighters already has a retirement age of 60.
	Redeployment of firefighters to other roles is the responsibility of individual fire and rescue authorities.

Fracking

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason he proposes to change the regulations for onshore oil and gas planning applications to remove the duty to notify people under whose land developers propose to drill.

Nicholas Boles: The Government has not proposed removing the duty for applicants to notify landowners about underground operations under their property. However, we have proposed changing how applicants are required to give notice. This is in recognition the different nature of underground operations for exploration and extraction of oil and gas. More detailed information is set out in the proposals paper published on 2 September, which may be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/revised-requirements-relating-to-planning-applications-for-onshore-oil-and-gas
	Shale gas has the potential to provide the UK with greater energy security, growth and jobs. As the shale gas industry develops, we want to ensure an effective locally led planning system is in place. The technical changes we have been consulting on will provide greater clarity in law, give certainty to councils and encourage investment.

Housing: Construction

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers he has to ensure that local planning authorities' estimates of the need for additional houses in their area are based on accurate estimates of that need; and what steps he is empowered to take if such estimates are found to be inaccurate.

Nicholas Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning authorities should prepare a Strategic Housing Market Assessment to ensure that their local plan meets the full, objectively assessed needs for housing.
	The Local Plan is subject to a public examination in front of an independent inspector. This will include testing any housing numbers proposed in the plan and checking that the council's proposals are supported by a robust evidence base. Following the examination, the inspector reports either that the plan is sound and can be adopted or that the plan is unsound and should be withdrawn.
	An updated and clear methodology for assessing development needs for housing is contained in our new online planning guidance suite, launched in test mode for public comment on 28 August.

Incinerators: Planning Permission

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will extend to prospective waste incinerator developments the package of measures and planning guidelines announced in connection with onshore wind farm applications in his statement of 6 June 2013, Official Report, columns 113-5WS, on onshore wind (local planning).

Kris Hopkins: We have made clear our intention to introduce compulsory pre-application consultation for the more significant wind farm applications. We are keeping under review the case for using the powers introduced by the Localism Act for other types of development, and encourage pre-application consultation with local communities for waste management facilities.
	My Department is also reviewing waste planning policy and accompanying guidance to provide a positive planning framework to enable local authorities to put forward planning strategies that deliver new waste management facilities of the right type, in the right place and at the right time. We want to provide an easily understood policy framework which can be followed by local authorities, waste developers and local communities alike.
	As outlined in the written statement of 29 July 2013, Official Report, House ofLords, column WS162, the updated policy proposes to strengthen protection of the Green Belt and take into account the abolition of top-down Regional Strategies.

Non-domestic Rates: North West

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the North West were liable to pay business rates in the last financial year.

Brandon Lewis: The information is as follows:
	(a) The number of hereditaments on the rating list on 30 September 2012, the latest date for which we have information, for each of the 10 metropolitan districts comprising the Greater Manchester area are given as follows.
	
		
			 Metropolitan district Number of hereditaments on the rating list on 30 September 2012 
			 Bolton 9,337 
			 Bury 5,592 
			 Manchester 23,361 
			 Oldham 7,326 
			 Rochdale 6,546 
			 Salford 10,273 
			 Stockport 9,953 
			 Tameside 7,105 
			 Trafford 9,185 
			 Wigan 9,067 
			 Total 97,745 
		
	
	Please note that not all of these hereditaments will be paying full national non-domestic rates as some will be receiving rate relief.
	The data are taken from the 2013-14 National Non-Domestic Rates 1 (NNDR1) forms completed annually by billing authorities in England and returned to the Department for Communities and Local Government. The data are publicly available to download in the Statistics section of the DCLG website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-domestic-rates-collected-by-local-councils-in-england-forecast-for-2013-to-2014
	(b) As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region. Local authority figures from which regional estimates can be calculated can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80245/NNDR1_2013-14_Drop_Down.xls

Piers

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds his Department makes available to refurbish privately-owned seafront piers.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not provide funds specifically for the refurbishment of privately-owned seaside piers. They may be eligible for support from the Coastal Communities Fund provided they can show that any improvements will deliver economic growth and job creation and not breach EU State Aid rules. Hastings Pier and Clevedon Pier were successful in securing grants from the Fund earlier this year. The Fund's next bidding round is due to open in early 2014.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what total cost has been incurred by local authorities in presenting a defence in planning appeals which have resulted in their initial decisions being overturned by the planning inspector since 2010.

Nicholas Boles: This information is not collected centrally.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning appeals have resulted in local authority decisions being overturned by the planning inspector in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK since 2010.

Nicholas Boles: The following table shows the percentage of planning appeals (ie S78 and HAS) that were allowed for each fiscal year from April 2010. For the current year only figures for the first quarter are available.
	
		
			  Ribble Valley Lancashire England 
			 Period Decided Allowed % allowed Decided Allowed % allowed Decided Allowed % allowed 
			 2010-11 8 4 50 298 102 34 15,828 5,194 '33 
			 2011-12 18 12 67 327 114 35 14,512 5,028 35 
			 2012-13 19 6 32 255 89 35 13,484 4,761 35 
			 2013-14 (Q1) 8 2 25 67 29 43 3,024 1,060 35 
		
	
	I would add that these figures refute the suggestion that the National planning Policy Framework would lead to planning by appeal.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average real wage level in Wales was in each month since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average real wage level in Wales was in each month since May 2010. (170607)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures are available only for the month of April in each of the years from 2010.
	The table shows estimates of median gross weekly earnings in Wales from 2010 to 2012, the latest period for which results are available, at cash prices and re-valued at 2012 prices by using the Consumer Prices Index as a price deflator, Figures are provided for part-time employees, full-time employees and all employees.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings for employees(1) in Wales between April 2010 and April 2012, at cash prices and at constant prices 
			  Cash prices (£) Constant (2012) prices (£) 
			 Year (April) Part-time Full-time All Part-time Full-time All 
			 2010 150.3 450.8 364.2 161.8 485.1 391.9 
			 2011(2) 150.5 454.4 366.5 155.0 468.1 377.6 
			 2011(3) 150.6 451.3 362.3 155.1 464.9 373.2 
			 2012 150.4 452.6 361.3 150.4 452.6 361.3 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (3) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to quality: The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure; the smaller the CV value, the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. The cash price earnings estimates in the table all have coefficients of variation which are between 0% and 5%. It has not been possible to calculate the coefficients of variation for the constant price earnings estimates. The Consumer Prices Index has been used to deflate the ASHE earnings estimates. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Civil Service Quarterly

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many copies of the July 2013 edition of Civil Service Quarterly were printed; and how much this edition cost the public purse to produce’
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the annual cost of Civil Service Quarterly.

Francis Maude: Civil Service Quarterly is primarily an online publication, and can be found at:
	https://quarterly.blog.gov.uk
	The cost of producing the first issue of Civil Service Quarterly, including printing costs, was £5,990. Future editions will likely cost around the same.

Employment: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people employed in Wrexham were employed in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Joe Grice to Ian Lucas, dated October 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (0NS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many people employed in Wrexham were employed in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector in each of the last five years for which records are available. (170957)
	Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	Table 1 shows the number of people aged 16 years and over, who were employed in the public or private sectors resident in Wrexham constituency. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period July 2012 to June 2013, the latest period available, and the 12 month periods ending in December from 2008 to 2012.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people aged 16 and over employed in the public and private sectors(1), resident in Wrexham constituency 
			 Thousand 
			 12 months ending: Public Private 
			 December 2008 10 25 
			 December 2009 11 25 
			 December 2010 10 24 
			 December 2011 9 24 
			 December 2012 7 24 
			 June 2013(3) ***8 **25 
			 — = not available (1) Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. (2) People who were employed but have not provided enough information to be accurately included in either the public or private sectors. (3) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV = 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

Performance Appraisal

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13.

Francis Maude: The overall ratings for Cabinet Office staff are set out in the following tables. Disability declaration rates are too low to be statistically significant and thus are not included. The distribution of those that have declared is broadly in line with the overall distribution.
	
		
			 Rating Overall distribution for staff below SCS (%) 
			 Low 1.1 
			 Satisfactory 12.1 
			 Good 33.4 
			 Potentially strong 4.7 
			 Strong 35.8 
			 Star 13 
		
	
	
		
			 Rating SCS distribution (%) 
			 Top 25.6 
			 Achieving 63.9 
			 Low 10.6

Voting Rights: Commonwealth

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable the right to vote in UK elections to be removed from citizens of specified Commonwealth countries.

Greg Clark: The franchise for UK elections is set out in the Representation of People Act 1983. Under the Act, British, Republic of Ireland and qualifying Commonwealth citizens are entitled to register to vote in UK parliamentary elections, local elections, and European elections assuming that all other registration criteria are also met. For the purposes of registering to vote, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen is an individual who either does not need leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, or who does need such leave and has it.
	The right of resident Commonwealth citizens to vote in UK elections reflects our close and valued historical ties with the Commonwealth countries. The Government has no current plans to remove the voting rights of Commonwealth citizens.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

City Deal

Lorely Burt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implementation of the City Deal for Greater Birmingham and Solihull.

Greg Clark: The implementation of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull City Deal is proceeding well, with the Government, and local civic and business leaders working effectively to ensure that commitments are carried out.
	These include over 1,300 new apprenticeships now available and a boost to life sciences through the Institute of Translational Medicine at Birmingham university.

City Deal

Simon Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made on a City Deal for Norwich.

Greg Clark: Following the signature of the Preston and Lancashire City Deal last month I am working with a number of other, cities to negotiate City Deals to devolve powers to create jobs and economic success.
	I am meeting with Norwich Civic and business leaders on Thursday as part of that negotiation.

Electoral Register

David Crausby: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities have submitted bids for funding to assist with the implementation of individual electoral registration; and how much funding each authority has received.

Greg Clark: The Government has been clear that it will fully fund the transition to individual electoral registration.
	This April the Government made payments to all relevant authorities across the country to cover the cost of the transition in this financial year (2013-14). The total sum paid was £2,992,186.
	A number of local authorities have submitted requests for additional funding for 2013-14. These bids are currently being assessed, and following ministerial, approval, LAs should be notified whether they have been successful shortly.
	Initial allocations for 2014-15 will be set out in a letter to electoral registration offices/chief executives shortly.

Lord Heseltine Review

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implementation of the Heseltine Review in (a) England, (b) the East Midlands and (c) Northamptonshire.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Government published its response to ‘No Stone Unturned’ by Lord Heseltine in March 2013. That response accepted in full or in part 81 out of Lord Heseltine's 89 recommendations.
	Central to the Government's response was a commitment to create a Local Growth Fund (LGF) in England from 2015, including over £2 billion of budgets from skills, housing and transport for 2015-16. Funds will be allocated from the LGF as part of Growth Deals, which are being negotiated with every Local Economic Partnership (LEP), including those in the East Midlands. As part of this, LEPs are currently developing Strategic Economic Plans and will share their first drafts with Government in December.
	The Government continues to take forward the wide-ranging recommendations as part of the usual policy process, to ensure we rise to the challenge to significantly advance the process of decentralisation, unleash the potential of local economies, strengthen partnerships with industry and foster economic growth.

Royal Charters

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the last occasion was on which a royal charter was issued without being preceded by a petition from the body requesting a royal charter.

Nicholas Clegg: The last state sponsored charter was in 2007 (The Institute of Educational Assessors). In the case of state sponsored charters, a petition is not required as the royal charter is usually the mechanism for creating or establishing the new body.

Voting Rights: Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the most recent UK legislation on Commonwealth voting rights is; and what plans the Government has to bring forward proposals to amend that legislation.

Greg Clark: The franchise for UK elections is set out in the Representation of People Act 1983. Under the Act, British, Republic of Ireland and qualifying Commonwealth citizens are entitled to register to vote in UK parliamentary elections, local elections, and European elections assuming that all other registration criteria are also met. For the purposes of registering to vote, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen is an individual who either does not need leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, or who does need such leave and has it.
	The right of resident Commonwealth citizens to vote in UK elections reflects our close and valued historical ties with the Commonwealth countries. The Government has no current plans to remove the voting rights of Commonwealth citizens.